Chelsea’s dispute with former manager Antonio Conte over his payoff is still ongoing – and it could soon be heading to the high court.
You know the story, Conte was dismissed as Chelsea manager after failing to qualify for the Champions League. That was despite him lifting the FA Cup in his last ever game in charge of the Blues.
Ordinarily, managers are entitled to the remainder of their contract in the event of a sacking, or whatever figure has been agreed in advance in case of contract termination.
However, Conte’s case is a little bit more complicated. The Times report that, while Conte’s legal team argue he should receive the £9M that remained to be paid to him on his contract, Chelsea dispute that.
Chelsea, per the report, believe that Conte’s actions were equivalent to the Italian breaching his contract, thus he should not get the cash. The manner in which he dealt with the Diego Costa situation is thought to be an example.
The case will now be ruled on by a three-person panel, with the possibility of it heading to high court if either party was to appeal against said ruling.
While Chelsea’s stance is understandable and Roman Abramovich could be forgiven for being reluctant to pay-off any more managers than he already has, this is further drama which we could do without.
Abramovich has not been seen in the country since having his visa revoked, while the Chelsea board ought to be focusing their attention on the impending transfer ban. This all seems a little unnecessary.
