http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article4206597.ece Former executive accuses Chelsea of 'betrayal' June 24, 2008 A former senior figure at Chelsea today accused the football club of “inertia” and “betrayal of trust” as he claimed a six-figure compensation sum at an employment tribunal. Paul Smith, the club's former Group Business Affairs Director, told the central London hearing that Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, repeatedly refused to settle the terms of his employment at the club. He said he was initially offered a salary of ￡350,000 for six months. The possibility of a 100 per cent bonus and a six-figure golden bonus after 10 years were also mentioned, he said. Mr Smith, who was eventually sacked by Mr Kenyon, told the panel he has a 25-year career in the football industry, including involvement in World Cup and Uefa events. He had known Mr Kenyon since 1992 when their paths crossed professionally and their relationship eventually led to a job at Chelsea in September 2003, he said. The club had just been bought by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and Mr Smith was “parachuted in” to cover as chief executive before Mr Kenyon joined the club from Manchester United. No written contract was drafted, he said. Mr Smith said: “I was left to my own devices . . . Mr Abramovich merely told me not to screw up.” He said he was working 15-16 hour days, six days a week, and was eventually given an employment contract at the end of October 2003. This offered a salary of ￡300,000 and a 50 per cent bonus. Mr Smith did not sign but awaited negotiations with Mr Kenyon. Commenting on his work at that stage he said: “Mr Abramovich had sufficient confidence in me that I was entrusted with dealing on his behalf in the area closest to his heart, player transfers.” Negotiations over his salary continued, and at one point he said he was offered ￡500,000 and a bonus of ￡250,000, but this was later withdrawn. Mr Smith said: “I was faced with an attitude reminiscent to one which confronted the pied piper: duties dispatched but respect and promises quickly forgotten.” He added: “From the beginning there was inertia and betrayal of trust by Mr Kenyon.” The former club executive said Mr Kenyon claimed he had been “neutered” by Roman Abramovich in terms of salary negotiations. Mr Smith added: “Trying to focus Mr Kenyon on a solution became virtually impossible. It was like trying to nail jelly to a wall.” Mr Smith is claiming a sum of ￡366,000 at the tribunal but claimed today that in terms of salary, bonus and unpaid benefits, the club owes him ￡950,000. He said he would take action at the High Court to claim the rest of the money. Throughout his time at Chelsea, Mr Smith said he negotiated key deals including Samsung sponsorship worth ￡55 million and football camps to be run with Disney. He said he was told of his dismissal in a “cold and robotic” way by Mr Kenyon, who had disliked his comments appearing in newspapers. He also accused Mr Kenyon of deliberately refusing to pay him and dismissing him to conceal this. He said: “By removing me, the facts would never surface to become a blemish on his managerial record. If I had remained at CFC, Mr Kenyon would have had the embarrassment of having to explain away the history of the ‘failed’ contract negotiations and accumulative personal debt. With me gone, he could keep this sorry episode quiet for limited expense.” Mr Smith won an unfair dismissal claim earlier this year and an employment tribunal ordered the club to pay the maximum compensatory award for a claim of its type, ￡60,600. But he is now claiming unlawful wage deductions. The hearing continues. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1YourView& xml=/sport/2008/06/25/sfnche125.xml Chelsea slated for 'shabby betrayal' By Richard Bright Last Updated: 7:28am BST 25/06/2008 Chelsea found themselves at the centre of a series of embarrassing claims yesterday as a former senior director launched a ￡1 million compensation battle against the club and accused owner Roman Abramovich of being "detached from the real world". Paul Smith, ex-group business affairs director at Stamford Bridge, has taken Chelsea to an industrial tribunal, claiming ￡370,000 in unpaid salary and bonuses following his dismissal last July in a move described by Chelsea as a "restructuring". Yesterday, as the case got under way, Smith spoke of his "sense of betrayal" at the way he was treated by Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon, likening it to the "shabby" way former manager Jose Mourinho was sacked last year. As he arrived for the start of the hearing, he said: "The club owes me money for my time there. This is the only way I can get them to pay me. Overall, it is seven figures, so it is worth pursuing. "I think I did a good job out of adversity in that first year and subsequently and my treatment at the hands of Chelsea has been shabby. You will have to ask Jose about his treatment. He got similar treatment." Smith, who was initially brought in as acting chief executive in September 2003 prior to Kenyon's arrival from Manchester United, says that despite repeated promises from his old friend, he was never paid the money he claims he was entitled to. He told the tribunal: "Curiously, Mr Kenyon declared that he was sympathetic to my position and believed that Mr Abramovich was so detached from the real world that he didn't make decisions that would be regarded as rational by the general public. "Maybe Mr Abramovich thought everyone had their own plane and yacht and he wasn't familiar with the concept of a mortgage." Throughout his time at Chelsea, Mr Smith said he negotiated key deals including a ￡55 million Samsung contract and Disney football camps. Although Chelsea deny the allegations, they conceded earlier this year that his dismissal was "technically unfair" and, following another tribunal, were ordered to pay ￡60,600 in compensation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/kenyon-denies- tribunal-case-claims-854205.html Kenyon denies tribunal case claims By Margaret Davis Thursday, 26 June 2008 Chelsea went on the offensive at an employment tribunal yesterday, as the club's chief executive, Peter Kenyon, began giving evidence. Kenyon told the London Central Employment Tribunal that Paul Smith's six-figure salary claims were "unrealistic" and denied agreeing to pay him various lump sums during salary negotiations. The club faces a claim of ￡366,000 from former group business affairs director Smith for unlawful wage deduction. He is also planning High Court action to claim more than ￡1m in total. Smith was employed at Chelsea in 2004. He claims he started as interim chief executive, but the club denies this. He was dismissed in 2007 when his position became redundant and he had never signed an employment contract. Kenyon told yesterday's hearing that a number of alleged conversations about Smith's salary did not take place. This included an encounter in which Smith claimed Kenyon was "hungover" and had offered him a salary of ￡500,000 and bonus of ￡250,000 because he was feeling "mellow". The chief executive also said: "I do not believe that Paul made a genuine effort to have an employment contract agreed." He added: "The amount Paul was asking for was simply out of line with his value in the marketplace." Smith has claimed that attempting to negotiate a contract with Kenyon was like "trying to nail jelly to a wall", but he did not approach other board members about the issue. Kenyon said: "I can't see why he never raised the matter with the other board members over the period in question," later adding: "At no point during his employment did Paul Smith raise a grievance in relation to these sums, which is surprising given the size of the sums involved." Kenyon said he had tried to make Smith sign a contract because it included provisions such as agreeing to confidentiality. He added: "This seemed to be more about a matter of money for him than anything else." Part of Smith's claim is for unpaid bonuses, but Kenyon said there was no bonus scheme for club executives. -- 簡單來說就是史密斯被火了以後很不爽 想要賠償 順便把老闆和長官罵一罵 肯揚覺得史密斯在作夢 因為他根本沒簽合約 -- 看著你的俱樂部在主場表現出色是當今生活中最愉快的經歷。所以切爾西的球 迷們一定是最開心的，在斯坦福橋創造了64場聯賽不敗紀錄之後。 - Pat Nevin --

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