Source: Telegraph
West Ham settle Alan Curbishley claim
The possibility of the former West Ham manager returning to Upton Park in the future remains a possibility but he will be a target for several clubs with Ipswich, who were interested before appointing Roy Keane, and Queens Park Rangers two of many clubs likely to show interest. [LNB]Curbishley won his case against West Ham for constructive dismissal in November, and it is understood he will receive just under £2 million, including costs of around £500,000. [LNB] Related ArticlesWest Ham stadium plans dealt blowWest Ham's top five problemsZola hits out at Sullivan over pay threatGianfranco Zola 'may be too nice'West Ham players asked to take 25% pay cutSport on televisionThe Managers' Arbitration Tribunal of the FA Premier League had unanimously upheld Curbishley's claim. Now 52, he previously spent 15 years in charge of Charlton before returning as manager to the club where he began his playing career, in 2006. [LNB]But he left at the beginning of the 2008-09 season after West Ham sold Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney to Sunderland against his wishes. [LNB]The tribunal upheld Curbishley's right to have ultimate sole authority in relation to the sale and purchase of players and found that the conduct of the club amounted to a fundamental breach of contract and that he was therefore entitled to resign. [LNB]Curbishley thanked new co-owner David Sullivan for 'acting quickly and concluding the settlement since his arrival at West Ham', and said: "It has taken many months to conclude this case but I am proud of my record at West Ham which included a win ratio of 40 per cent, after initially keeping the club in the Premier League and a 10th place finish in my only full season in charge.' [LNB]Meanwhile, West Ham's new owners received a set-back in plans to move into the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Olympics in Stratford when Tessa Jowell, the Olympics minister, insisted that the venue's primary purpose will be to host 'grand prix' athletics. [LNB]David Gold and Sullivan are keen to move into the new stadium but Jowell said: 'Let's be clear about this. It will be a grand prix athletics stadium because we need one. We have made that commitment, that was one of the reasons that we bid to win the Games and so that is a given.' [LNB]
