Curbishley wins Hammers case

Curbishley: Forced to quit

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Alan Curbishley has won his claim for wrongful dismissal against West Ham, the League Managers' Association have confirmed.

Curbishley parted company with the Upton Park outfit in September 2008 after they sold defensive duo Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney to Sunderland against his wishes.

The former Charlton boss always insisted that the actions of the club made his position untenable and that he was forced to resign, and the Managers' Arbitration Tribunal of the FA Premier League has unanimously upheld his claim.

The tribunal ruled that Curbishley had sole authority over player transfers and that the actions of the East London club amounted to a fundamental breach of contract, with a compensation figure now to be decided.

West Ham had hit back with a claim of their own regarding the costs incurred in appointing Gianfranco Zola and his assistant Steve Clarke to replace Curbishley, but this was dismissed by the tribunal.

"I am obviously delighted with this result," Curbishley told the LMA's official website.

Undermined

"I very much enjoyed my time at West Ham and never wanted to leave, but on joining the club I insisted that my contract contained a clause confirming that I would have final say on the selection of players to be transferred to and from the club.

"The club completely ignored my contract when selling Anton Ferdinand, and when George McCartney was then sold, the club having given me assurances that no players would be leaving the club after the sale of Anton Ferdinand, I had no alternative but to resign.

"My authority and integrity were undermined and my position was made untenable. I now wish to put this entire matter behind me.

"I would like to thank the LMA, my lawyers, Mike Morrison of Hill Dickinson, and Paul Gilroy QC, for all of their support and for the hard work they put in on my behalf in order to help me achieve this outcome."

LMA chief executive Richard Bevan added: "Naturally we are delighted with the outcome for Alan but, at the same time, sorry that he wasn't able to continue at West Ham United, a club that has played such a prominent part in his professional career both as a player and manager.

"The findings of the Tribunal demonstrate the critical importance of respecting contracts which need to set out the roles and responsibilities of the parties in clear and unequivocal terms."