Former West Ham boss Curbishley wins wrongful dismissal case

Alan Curbishley has won his case for wrongful dismissal against West Ham after claiming he had no option but to resign following the sale of Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney to Sunderland against his wishes.

A Premier League manager's arbitration tribunal has upheld Curbishley's claim for wrongful dismissal after he resigned last season.

The tribunal, which dismissed a counter claim from West Ham, will now assess how much compensation the club will have to pay.

Alan Curbishley said: "I am obviously delighted with this result. 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."

Richard Bevan, chief executive of the League Managers' Association, said the outcome demonstrated the need for clubs to respect contracts.

Bevan said: "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."