Premier League arbitration tribunal appointed for Conte vs. Chelsea hearing

Never a boring day at Chelsea Football Club, as we like to say, though sometimes the drama is wholly of our own making. Case in point: Conte’s sacking last summer, done with as much personal strife as possible and made all the more unpalatable by the club’s refusal to pay Conte the severance he was due, claiming instead the the sacking was done with “just cause” (i.e. for a breach of his duties as per the contract, including but not limited to the Diego text — conveniently used as an excuse for everything by everyone — and poor communication, and so on).

The matter has been on low simmer since the summer, with neither side backing down, so now we’ve reached the part where someone from the outside will have to rule in the matter. First step in that process is a Premier League tribunal. The three-member tribunal — each side appointing one representative, who then together pick a third, final arbitrator — will now look to come up a solution acceptable to both sides. If either Chelsea or Conte reject it, it would go to High Court, which surely isn’t something anybody wants (especially Chelsea).

The Times’ report does not put a date on when the tribunal will meet or when a decision might be expected, but in the case of Tony Pulis, the eventual verdict (including the subsequent court battle) took over two years.