Former EPL side Crystal Palace Manager Tony Pulis is facing a bill of nearly £5M ($7.24M) after "losing a legal battle" with the club over a bonus payment it made to him shortly before he left the team, according to Gary Jacob of the LONDON TIMES. Pulis, now West Bromwich Albion's head coach, was ordered to pay £3.75M ($5.43M) plus costs after an arbitration hearing organized under FA rules. He was entitled to a £2M bonus after he steered Palace to safety in '13-14, when the club "also had to pay additional sums" such as tax, taking its total outlay to £3.75M. Under the terms of his contract the bonus payment "was scheduled to be paid" at the end of Aug. '14 but was "brought forward by several weeks at his request." But within a few days, "and little more than 36 hours before the start of the campaign, he parted company with Palace." Disputes in football "must be resolved through the FA’s Rule K, which means an independent individual or body will arbitrate on the case." The hearing took place at the start of February and Pulis was informed of the decision in the past week. None of Pulis, Palace, West Brom or the FA "would comment" (LONDON TIMES, 3/17).
