Dan Ashworth may have seriously damaged not only his reputation but also his chances of winning any reduced terms during arbitration and his bank balance.
Before we delve into what’s happened and more importantly what could happen next, it’s important to know that other than those involved no one knows the fine print of any contract.
In early February Ashworth held a conversation with Berrada who is swapping Manchester City for their rivals Manchester United. At this time Ashworth was still in post and not tending to his garden, however Berrada was on gardening leave. Not only was Berrada working covertly for Manchester United, but did so with an INEOS email address when he made his move to tap up Ashworth, which was then blind copied to Ashworth’s Newcastle email.
In this exchange, Ashworth is also believed to have shared information about his move from Brighton to Newcastle, bringing in a breach of confidentiality with both clubs, risking his first of several days in court.
Berrada has most likely breached his contract with City, which in itself opens him up to a court case, but potentially opens Manchester United up to potential tapping up charges by the Premier League.
What does this mean for Ashworth and more importantly, Newcastle?
Firstly, the potential tapping investigation by the Premier League.
The reason this will fall at the door of Manchester United and not Berrada, is because an official INEOS email address was used when the approach was made, making it clear that he was acting on behalf of Ratcliffe and INEOS.
Previous tapping punishments in the League have resulted in a transfer ban being implemented and Manchester United could very much find themselves in a similar situation, the extent of any ban however is not written in the rules and would be down to the judgment of the League’s independent judgment panel.
The rules on this are clear, you need consent from the current club before you make your approach, all directors are expected…
Source link : https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2024/05/30/dan-ashworth-now-at-risk-of-three-court-cases-and-man-utd-in-deep-trouble/
Author : Martin Hall
Publish date : 2024-05-30 13:39:33
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