Footballer freezes club's cash

Neil Ruddock says he is owed more than £80,000

A footballer has persuaded a court to freeze the money earned by his club in an FA cup game, in the latest round of a wage dispute.

Neil Ruddock went to the High Court on Friday and succeeded in getting an order to block Swindon Town FC receiving some of the money it earned from the weekend's FA cup game with Oxford United.

Mr Ruddock claims he is owed around £86,000 in back wages.

But the club's management says it has no money to pay the former Liverpool and England defender.

The club has always said that the basic wages of its players are budgeted for

Stephen Welfare
Solicitor

An employment tribunal will meet in Bristol on Wednesday to discuss the issue.

Chief Executive of Swindon Town, Mark Devlin, said: "We cannot pay him because the money does not exist within the club.

"We have said all along that any settlement with Neil Ruddock was going to have to be met by a third party and that has always been the case."

But Stephen Welfare, Mr Ruddock's solicitor, said money owed to his client could be comfortably paid out of what had been frozen.

'Quick resolution'

"The club has always said that the basic wages of its players are budgeted for.

"They also said before the FA cup match that this was an unbudgeted for windfall, which says it all really," he added.

Nigel Bennett, spokesperson for Swindon Town's supporters club, said he hoped the situation would be resolved quickly and amicably.

He said: "The impasse that has developed between the club and Neil Ruddock does not help the situation that the club has been in now for a number of years."

Swindon Town came out of administration in August.