Source: Daily_Mail
Sol Campbell sues Portsmouth over money owed to the Arsenal defender
Sol Campbell is suing Portsmouth for £1.7million in allegedly unpaid image rights fees and bonuses.[LNB]Their former captain, 35, claims the cash-strapped club owe him £1.67m, plus more than £60,000 in interest.[LNB]Just as West Ham's dire financial situation was exposed by new owner David Sullivanon Tuesday, Portsmouth's recklessness has been laid bare by the details of Campbell's writ, which was lodged with the High Court earlier this month.[LNB]It claims Portsmouth agreed to pay Campbell £20,000 a week for the first year and £30,000 for the last two years of his contract, to use his image in commercial, sponsorship and endorsement deals.[LNB] Return: Sol Campbell is back at Arsenal at the age of 35[LNB]These payments almost doubled Campbell's reported basic salary of £30,000 a week.[LNB]In addition, Campbell should allegedly have received a £500,000bonus for making 25 appearances in Premier League and FA Cup games in2008-09 and an extra month's wages (around £130,000) because he was notsigned by another club within a month of his contract ending in June2009. [LNB]Campbell did not join Notts County, for whom he went on to make just one appearance, until August of last year.[LNB]Portsmouth had allegedly agreed to pay Campbell's image rights feesand bonuses into a trust fund in Geneva, Switzerland, in lump sumstwice a year. His writ claims he received his payments on time for thefirst two seasons of the deal, which came to £2.6m. [LNB]Action: Campbell in his Pompey days[LNB]The problems began in December 2008, after Portsmouth's main creditor, Standard Bank, demanded a £30m loan be paid in full.[LNB]Campbell's writ alleges the first instalment of the 2008-09 contract a £520,000 payment due on December 31, 2008 was not paid untilJanuary 28, 2009, along with more than £3,000 in interest.[LNB]The writ then claims the defender, who is now back at former club Arsenal, has yetto be paid the £1.67m he was allegedly owed as a final instalment, which he should have received by the end of June.[LNB]Portsmouth confirmed the receipt of the writ and a club spokesman said: 'The matter is being dealt with by our lawyers.'[LNB]The details of Campbell's legal action come after Portsmouth failedto have a winding-up order issued by Revenue and Customs thrown out atthe High Court on Tuesday.[LNB]The club plan to appeal against Mr Justice Newey's decision on thegrounds that the VAT portion of their crippling tax bill is £7.5m toohigh, but the hearing is still expected to go ahead on February 10.[LNB]An unsuccessful appeal would see Portsmouth move a step closer to being the first Premier League club to go into administration.[LNB]Such action would carry an automatic nine-point deduction for theleague's bottom club, which would almost certainly guarantee relegationto the Championship.[LNB]Portsmouth also owes around £10m to other clubs and is currentlybanned from signing new players owing to a Premier League embargo.[LNB]Meanwhile, Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie, 57, appeared atSouthwark Crown Court in London yesterday in connection withallegations that he cheated the taxman over the signing-on fee formidfielder Amdy Faye, when he moved from Auxerre to Portsmouth, betweenJuly 1, 2003 and November 28, 2007.[LNB]The case was adjourned to April 15 but Judge Peter Testar also set atrial date for more than a year's time: May 16, 2011. Storrie, whodenies the charge, remains on unconditional bail.[LNB] Court appearance: Storrie[LNB][LNB]He spoke to confirm his name during the preliminary hearing but thecharge was not put to him and he was not asked to enter a plea.[LNB]Storrie is accused of arranging for the fee to Faye to be paid viathe bank account of an agent, Willie McKay, in order to 'conceal itstrue nature and purpose', thereby 'causing a failure on the part of theclub to operate PAYE and account for income tax and national insurancecontributions in respect of that fee'.[LNB] Pompey fail to stave off winding up threat as woes deepen at crisis clubTHE FIRING LINE: Big trouble for Big Sam - the Rovers boss heads our list of gaffers heading for the exitPORTSMOUTH FC
