According to the Times, the decision of the arbitration tribunal has been to award Antonio Conte the full £9 million compensation package that Chelsea failed to pay him when sacking him last summer, putting an end to a 10-month unseemly legal battle between the club and our former, title-winning manager.
The decision was made by the Premier League managers’ arbitration tribunal two months after its appointment. Chelsea could take case to High Court, but have apparently decided not to extend what has been a ratter bitter affair.
Exclusive: Chelsea ordered to pay Antonio Conte £9m in compensation, reports @MattHughesTimes
— Times Sport (@TimesSport) May 21, 2019
The club have now spent more than £90m in pay-offs to managers under Roman Abramovichhttps://t.co/gXfzxZgLh8
Chelsea decided to sack Conte with “just cause” and thus without compensation on July 13, claiming that his fractured relationship and overall behaviour were a ‘breach of contract’. They also said Chelsea incurred lost revenue because of Conte’s decision to dismiss Diego Costa from his team during the 2017 summer transfer window via SMS, in what was another dramatic saga involving the club.
Meanwhile, Conte argued that the club were harmful to his professional prospects and felt that he did not do anything to justify his dismissal, accusing the club of breaking the terms of the contract regarding severance and final compensation.
The £9 million will take the amount spent by Chelsea just to sack managers since Roman Abramovich’s takeover to almost £93 million. But as per the Times, it is only the fifth-most expensive severance package in the Abramovich Era, with Mourinho’s £23.1 million well in front in first place.
So far, that outlay have been justified by trophies. How long can we keep it up remains to be seen. But for now, this problem is over and we are certainly glad to be out of this reprehensible mess. On to the next one(s)!