credit;PA
Former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte was unfairly sacked by the club, an employment tribunal has ruled.
But he was only awarded slightly more than £85,000 in compensation after an employment judge upheld his claim.
It comes a few days after the club announced it had paid out more than £26m over the sacking of the Italian manager and his backroom staff.
Employment Judge Andrew Glennie said: “The complaint of unfair dismissal is well founded.
“The respondent shall pay to the claimant a basic award of £1,524 and a compensatory award of £83,682, being a total of £85,206.”
Last week the club’s accounts showed they paid a total of £26.6m in compensation and legal costs to Conte and their former manager’s backroom staff.
The figure was revealed in accounts which also show the club received an increase in funding of £247m from Roman Abramovich, the owner, during the last financial year.
Judge Glennie said: “Written reasons will not be provided unless a request is presented by either party within 14 days.”
The club did not contest the case that was heard in London in August and the judgement was made last Friday.
Chelsea, who have made overall losses of £96m and seen their annual wage bill rise by 17 per cent to £285m, fired Conte and replaced him with Maurizio Sarri in the summer of 2018.
He steered the club to the Premier League title in 2017 in his first season in England. But he was fired a year later after Chelsea failed to qualify for the Champions League.
Conte had 12 months left on his contract. He has since returned to Italy to manage Internazionale.
Chelsea have paid out more than £90m in compensation to sacked managers since Abramovich took ownership of the club in 2003.
Sarri left in June last year for Juventus and was replaced by former player Frank Lampard.
Chelsea have been told to cough up £50million for Brighton defender Lewis Dunk, according to reports. They have been told to dig deep if they want to sign the defender, who would cost them £50m, according to the Times.
Chelsea have reportedly sent scouts to watch Roma midfielder Amadou Diawara take on Juventus tonight, according to Tuttosport. They will have to move quickly with Spurs also targeting the 22-year-old Guinea international.
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