Crawley Town has issued a response concerning the situation involving their former manager, Matthew Etherington.
Matthew Etherington, a former player for Stoke City and West Ham United, took over as the manager of the League Two club in November 2022 but left after just 32 days. He was later appointed as the interim manager of Colchester United in June after Ben Garner was relieved of his duties in late October.
Crawley Town has now blocked Etherington from taking up the position at Colchester United, citing a breach of the contract he had signed with them the previous year. The statement from Crawley Town stated:
“We apologize to Colchester United fans who found themselves caught in an unfortunate situation. Matthew Etherington resigned as the manager of Crawley Town in December, and his contract included a clause that prohibited him from ending the agreement early to join or engage with another football club playing in the same or lower league as ours. No buyout option is allowed in such circumstances.”
The statement also mentioned that Crawley Town was unaware of Etherington’s contract breach until recently. They are open to him continuing as the under-21s manager but will not allow him to be the first-team manager without a financial settlement.
However, the statement suggests that no financial settlement is likely to be reached:
“When we contacted Robbie Cowling on Friday, we were informed that he would not provide any compensation for Matthew.”
The statement concluded by expressing support for Colchester United’s recent victory and wishing Robbie and his team the best in their search for a new manager.
From the writer’s perspective, this situation appears to be a complex one. It suggests that Crawley Town may have found a way to generate income to address their ongoing financial difficulties.
The club, owned by the WAGMI United group, has faced financial challenges since the takeover in April 2022, leading to a decline in the league standings.
It appears that no settlement will be reached, leaving Colchester United in the position of having to find a different replacement for Ben Garner, a challenging task that may necessitate a financial agreement.
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