West Ham To Issue FA With £10.5m Compensation Claim

Chris Wright

30th, November 2010

4 Comments

By Chris Wright

The Sun have set about thawing everybody’s snow-bound cockles this chill winter’s morn, with a heart-warming tale of career-ending injury and resultant financial vengeance.

According to the red top, West Ham are ready to hand the FA a £10.5 million legal writ as the club chase compensation for the ankle injury that former Hammers striker Dean Ashton suffered on England duty that effectively ended his career a year or so ago – at the depressingly young age of 26.

Ashton splintered his ankle during a training session ahead of England’s clash with Greece in 2006 and, two operations and three years later, was forced to finally call it a day due to the chronic, repetitive after-effects.

As a result, the Hammers are suing the FA for the £8 million insurance that Ashton held with them at the time, plus the £2.5 million settlement that the club paid the player upon the termination of his contract.

The cynics amongst you may suggest that West Ham, under the nefarious ownership of the Goldivan, are merely chasing every single available FA coin in a bid to balance the £25 million they are still in the process of paying Sheffield United for their part in ‘Tevezgate’ back in 2008 – but I’m sure those claims would be almost definitely wide of the mark.

Posted in West Ham Utd

Share this article: Email

4 Comments

  1. Duncan Ferguson says:

    fa set a worrying precedent when they gave the kopites 500k when stevie got a boo-boo

  2. hollis says:

    Duncs is spot on. Ashton could’ve realistically gone on to be a West Ham legend, providing much needed goals that may have put West Ham firmly mid-table over the past few years. The potential lost revenue from league position payouts combined with the FA paying Liverpool an obscene amount for Stevie G missing a few months really makes West Ham look justified in asking for an insurance payout and contract termination penalty fee.

    Classless, but justified. As for the cynic’s view, I agree. West Ham could certainly use the cash, and it would be irresponsible to pass up the opportunity. Especially when there is also the opportunity to call the FA out on making a massive error in paying Liverpool.

  3. upper90magazine says:

    Interesting events…what is interesting is would West Ham be in the state they are now if they still had a fully fit Ashton?

    Have a read of…

    West Ham and the ‘Pack’: The race to avoid the Christmas Curse!

    http://upper90magazine.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/west-ham-and-the-pack-race-to-avoid-the-christmas-curse/

  4. […] million (£8 million in insurance, £2.5 million to cover Ashton’s contract termination fee) compensation claim, which they reportedly plan to issue to the FA over the course of the next few weeks. […]

Leave a Reply to hollis