Is spying as common in Germany as Southampton boss Eckert claims?

Is spying as common in Germany as Southampton boss Eckert claims?Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Tonda Eckert has repeatedly claimed that spying is perceived differently in his homelandByDaniel AustinBBC Sport senior journalistPublished2 minutes agoCommentsWhen Southampton manager Tonda Eckert apologised to fans for the Spygate scandal in a video broadcast on Tuesday, he doubled down on his claim that spying on opposition teams' training sessions is common practice in his native Germany."When I worked in Italy for four years, every starting line-up we chose was out in the media before games, and the reason is our training sessions - especially the ones before games - have always been observed by media and opponent teams," the 33-year-old said."[Pep] Guardiola has spoken about this in his time at Bayern, that it has been common practice in Germany to observe training sessions, knowing that other teams would do the same."Eckert, who joined Southampton as Under-21s manager last summer before taking charge of the first team in the autumn, claimed that his ignorance of the rules outlawing spying led to the English Football League (EFL) throwing Saints out of last month's Championship play-offs."There are different rules in England, different rules in the EFL, and I should have known them," he said.Eckert now faces an investigation by the Football Association into his conduct, and could be handed a ban if charged and found guilty.So, is spying as commonplace in Germany, and is cultural difference a suitable defence?To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, Eckert: "I am a young coach, I have made a mistake, and I take full responsibility"How widespread is spying in German football?Spying can be conducted far more easily in Germany, because many sides in the Bundesliga hold regular open training sessions which can be attended by the public.Though ai...