Curbishley wins unfair dismissal case

LONDON (AP) Former West Ham manager Alan Curbishley won his case of wrongful dismissal against the club on Tuesday when a Premier League tribunal ruled he was forced to quit after his authority over transfers was undermined.

Curbishley walked out on the team in September 2008 after Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney were sold to Sunderland against his wishes.

That amounted to a "fundamental breach" of Curbishley's contract, arbitration tribunal chairman Philip Otton said.

Curbishley, who has not taken on a new managerial job, is now in line for compensation, which will be assessed by the tribunal.

"The club completely ignored my contract when selling Anton Ferdinand, and when George McCartney was then sold, the club having given me assurances that no players would be leaving the club after the sale of Anton Ferdinand, I had no alternative but to resign," Curbishley said Tuesday. "My authority and integrity were undermined and my position was made untenable."

The tribunal rejected West Ham's counterclaim relating to the cost of hiring manager Gianfranco Zola and his assistant, Steve Clarke.

Richard Bevan, chief executive of the League Managers' Association, said the ruling demonstrated the "the critical importance of respecting contracts."

The Curbishley ruling came a month after Kevin Keegan won a similar case against Newcastle.

Updated November 3, 2009