Villa boss Paul Lambert confirms he is being sued by Norwich
Paul Lambert today confirmed he is being sued by former club Norwich and expressed his disappointment with the Canaries hierarchy after they brought the dispute into the public domain.
Carrow Road chairman Alan Bowkett told a fans forum last night that the Villa boss has decided to take Norwich to an industrial tribunal for unfair dismissal and breach of contract, and that Lambert is seeking up to £2m in compensation.
However, Bowkett did not mention that the Canaries have prepared their own case against Lambert, understood to be for breach of contract, following his departure from the East Anglian club.
The Scot left Norwich for Villa in June but the claret and blues insisted they did not need to pay any compensation as the Scot had resigned before talks took place.
It was reported at the time that Lambert's contract at Carrow Road contained a clause which allowed him to speak to any interested Premier League clubs.
"I am extremely disappointed that senior officials Norwich have said this in relation to myself. It is with the Premier League managers' arbitration. The LMA are acting on behalf," said Lambert.
"What Norwich haven't made public is that they are suing me. I'll let him (Bowkett) say what he has got to say and we'll see what happens.
"I don't know whether the arbitration tribunal is happy. The LMA supported me at the time and still are.
"For me, it's disrespectful to that tribunal to comment on it any further. That's the way I'm going to leave it. My main concern is Villa. We've got a tough game against Tottenham on Sunday and that is my focus."
The matter is likely to increase tensions ahead of Norwich's visit to Villa Park at the end of the month, and Bowkett questioned whether Lambert should have acted with more dignity.
"He walked out on us -Villa said he was a free agent so they are not paying us compensation, which we take issue with," said Bowkett.
"However, interestingly Paul Lambert is taking Norwich City to an industrial tribunal for unfair dismissal and breach of contract, and he wants £1.5m to £2m from us. So we look forward to those tribunals.
"The manner of Paul Lambert's departure is no surprise because he's walked out on every club he's ever managed. You can't complain because you know what you're getting but I felt he could have left in a more dignified manner."
