Fifty seconds into Saturday's home fixture against Bristol City, the visiting supporters made their feelings plain. "You know what you are, you know what you are, cheating bastards, you know what you are," rang out from the away end at St Mary's Stadium. It was, according to those present, a chant that has greeted every visiting contingent this season. Southampton fans responded with sarcastic applause before outsinging their guests. This, for better or worse, is the backdrop against which the club is now operating in the Championship.

What the EFL already decided

The origins of the scandal lie in May, when photographs emerged of a junior Southampton staff member concealing himself behind a tree to film a Middlesbrough training session. The EFL moved quickly. An independent panel found that manager Tonda Eckert had authorised the spying, describing it as a "contrived and determined plan from the top down". The club admitted multiple offences, which also included filming sessions belonging to Oxford United and Ipswich. The consequences were severe: Southampton were expelled from the Championship play-offs and handed a four-point deduction. Both punishments were immediate and concrete.

The FA's case is a different matter

Almost two months have now passed since the Football Association charged Eckert individually with misconduct. Unlike the EFL's panel, which reached its conclusions in a matter of days, the FA has yet to announce what sanction, if any, it intends to impose. That delay is breeding frustration among supporters who, in other respects, have rallied behind the club.

Attendances at St Mary's have barely dipped. Figures for home fixtures against Stoke, Millwall and Swansea came in just under 30,000 each time, and Saturday's Bristol City match drew 30,132, close to a sell-out. Whatever embarrassment the scandal caused, it has not kept the St Mary's faithful away.

"Initially I was disappointed and angry," Alex Watson, a 31-year-old Saints supporter, told the Guardian before kick-off. "Then you go through all the stages up to acceptance." His second frustration, shared by others outside the ground, is directed at the FA. "The mood generally is the FA needs to make a decision. They need to get on and do something about it, one way or the other."

The range of possible outcomes

The uncertainty is more than symbolic. A fine or a short ban would be uncomfortable but manageable. A lengthy suspension is a different proposition altogether. There is a relevant precedent: Bev Priestman, as Canada's manager, was banned for a year by Fifa after two staff members used a drone to spy on opponents at the Paris Olympics. A comparable sanction applied to Eckert would almost certainly end his time in the St Mary's dugout.

Southampton have not waited passively. During a pre-season friendly against Preussen Munster, Eckert watched from the stands while his assistant, Ben Garner, took charge on the touchline, a deliberate rehearsal for the possibility of a ban. The club, it seems, is preparing for all eventualities even if the governing body has not yet provided a timetable for its decision.

A sense of inconsistency

Among supporters there is a lingering irritation about the apparent gap between punishments handed to large clubs and those given to everyone else. Chelsea, for example, received fines and suspended transfer bans for systemic breaches of agent regulations covering more than a decade. Southampton, by contrast, have already lost a play-off place and four points for filming a handful of training sessions, and face further consequences besides. Whether that comparison is fair is debatable, but the perception is real and it shapes the mood around the club.

The pantomime-villain dimension has, if anything, been embraced at St Mary's. Around the hour mark on Saturday, a new chant surfaced in the home sections: "We spy when we want, we spy when we want, we are Southampton, we spy when we want." Within a minute, Cyle Larin had added a second goal to put the hosts firmly in command against Bristol City.

Where this leaves the club

Southampton are pressing on in the Championship despite carrying the weight of an unresolved disciplinary process. Until the FA delivers its verdict on Eckert, the club cannot fully plan. A four-point deduction already sits on the ledger; the potential loss of the manager is a variable that no pre-season preparation can entirely account for. For a fanbase trying to move past the scandal, the FA's silence is, for now, the most difficult thing to accept.

Frequently asked

What punishment did Southampton receive for the spying scandal?
The EFL expelled Southampton from the Championship play-offs and deducted four points after the club admitted multiple spying offences, including filming training sessions belonging to Middlesbrough, Oxford United and Ipswich.
Is Southampton manager Tonda Eckert facing a ban?
The FA charged Eckert individually with misconduct nearly two months ago, but has not yet announced a punishment. Outcomes range from a fine or short ban to a lengthy suspension that could effectively end his time as manager.
How have Southampton's attendances been affected by the spying scandal?
Crowds at St Mary's have held up well. Attendances for home Championship fixtures against Stoke, Millwall and Swansea were just under 30,000, and the Bristol City match drew 30,132, close to a sell-out.