An ongoing legal battle between Antonio Conte and former club Chelsea is set to be settled finally. The 49 year old Italian who was sacked by the Blues last summer has been inolved in a legal stand off with the club over refusal to pay compensation package he was due.
Conte who was replaced by Maurizio Sarri that same summer believes Chelsea should pay him a £9million compensation package, something Chelsea disagrees with. According to The Times, a Premier League managers’ arbitration tribunal will begin hearing the case after being appointed to decide how much compensation the Italian should receive following his sacking last summer.
Conte believes he is entitled to the final year of his £9million contract, or at least his wages until taking another job. He has not been employed since leaving Chelsea.
A three-person panel will start hearing the case at a private location on Thursday, providing a settlement is not reached before then. Two arbitrators – one each appointed by Conte and Chelsea – make up two thirds of the panel, along with a chairman who will oversee proceedings as both parties put forward their arguments.
The Premier League club will claim that Conte’s behaviour during his final season at Stamford Bridge means he is not due the full £9m pay-off. There was a serious deterioration of relationships between the 49-year-old and senior figures behind the scenes at Chelsea.
Conte won the Premier League title in his first season but was sacked just over a year later The issues began when Conte sent a text message to Diego Costa to tell the striker he was surplus to requirements. This is likely to be used in Chelsea’s case against Conte.
However, there have been discussions within Conte’s legal team about claiming for aggravated damages. They believe that by leaving it so late to sack him, Chelsea stopped Conte from finding another top job in the summer.
The tribunal will rule on how much compensation Conte is entitled to, although if either party refuses to accept the figure then they can take their case to the High Court in a bid to secure a more favourable outcome.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has sacked nine managers since taking over in 2003
The former Italy manager was the ninth boss sacked by owner Roman Abramovich since he took over the club in 2003. He has had to spend more than £70m in compensation in that time.
Chelsea released a 61-word statement that failed to thank Conte after he was finally given the boot on July 13 last year. It did mention the fact he had won the Premier League in his first season in charge and picked up the FA Cup in his second, although that latter success came during a season in which Conte led Chelsea to a fifth-place finish.