Ive just put this on the Djib thread but i think this scumbag deserves another thread to vent our disgust and anger. I remember writing a thread about him 2 years ago about him not turning up for training for Gabon. Ive managed to find the article. Does this sound familiar .... https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/20...ong---chaos-tension-the-story-behind-the-awol
Am I right in thinking that if we sacked them then we are forfeiting any possible transfer fee? We were looking for around 5m for ding dong and 1m for djib...would we be able to sue them for loss of the said mentioned transfer fees we'd be losing out on?...
That will be one of the issues on the legal advice we are taking Its all pie in the sky though in reality. Chelsea successfully won the right to sue Adrian Mutu for the value of his transfer fee after he decided to get in to drugs rather than football. I don't think they ever saw a penny of it
I work for a union and have to help employees who are facing charges which could result in their dismissal and I would suggest the the PFA silence on the case suggests that they know they don’t have a case. We certainly work on the principle that we can not defend the indefensible and we can not deny something which has actually happened. In this case the behaviour is unreasonable and the fact is that they have not turned up for work. So if I was their rep I would be looking for mitigation as I couldn’t deny the facts of the case. What mitigation would I be looking at? I know some of these will sound weak but when you don’t have a case you will be looking for any small thing to get the employee to understand why they felt they had to do what they did. “I was told that the club didn’t want we” “It was implied that I didn’t need to turn up but that I should spend my time looking for another club, so I did. It would be unreasonable to then expect me to take a new contract which paid less than the contract I already have so when the offers made didn’t match my current package it was up SAFC to make up the difference, when they didn’t it was reasonable that I turned down the other clubs” Papy could then argue that in good faith having tried to find another club, at the request of SAFC, he returned to training with the aim of getting into the first team. The club by saying that he will never play form them again are then in breach of contract and he then claims the balance of his contact and compensation for the resulting loss of earnings because the football world now has an image of him as a total toe wrag as a result of doing what the club wanted him to do. N’Dong on the other hand by not turning up after the window has closed would have to argue that the actions of the club have made it impossible for him to come back, especially after the owners have made comments about them never playing for SAFC again. The continued with holding of wages could be argued to be a termination of his contract and hence a claim of unfair dismissal could be looked at. He would need to resign before he could claim constructive dismissal and the resignation would need to be triggered by a recent event and as we are now some eleven weeks past the day he didn’t turn up that would be more difficult to claim. As as say a very weak case to argue but it would all depend on how any comments made to the players about finding other clubs framed and how any public statements made by the club have effected them.
Sack them and keep their registrations. F*ck this "stopping them plying their trade and earning a living". Our barristers are bigger that their barristers so there.
But all the arguements you put forward for papy wouldn't hold weight because he's hired and pays an agent to deal with those matters while he honours his contract. Also he's had offers of employment which he has turned down. Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk
As I say a weak case. However the fact that the other offers of employment pay less than his current employer is a defence for not taking them. For anybody in the real world like you and me if we were offered a job at £20k a year rather than one at £60k a year and we decided to say put that would be reasonable. The fact that the money being paid is obscene doesn’t come into play. The weaker part of the case is not turning up. Unless his rep can find a clear example of the club saying stay away and find another club, he is in clear breach of contract.
The fee for N’Dick is due to Short as part of the takeover so we won’t see any of that anyhow - think SD said there was a difference in valuation between the club and ES so not sure whether we have to give ES a set amount anyhow or if he’ll swallow 0 if we are able to sack them. Sooner they are gone the better.
The players (and their agents) should understand that their salary value is only what someone will pay in the future, not what someone stupidly set it at in the past. But, as we keep saying, this is the profession of football, not the real world.
A good read...... A few days ago we heard on the grapevine that Stewart Donald wasn’t best pleased with messers Ndong and Djilibodji. This comes as no surprise to any of us - how could any owner be anything but infuriated at the notion that two players on his books couldn’t even summon the professionalism to turn in for training after an unsuccessful transfer window searching for greener pastures? It’s the height of poor form, and the higher-ups are rightly incensed. It’s apparent to all that neither player nor their agents had any intention of protecting their positions of privilege, secured in a contract with a guaranteed wage at a big club vying for a return to it’s former status. I’m not going to waste my time speaking about Papy - suffice it to say that he’s an ill-fit for this and previous Sunderland teams and is, frankly, not a particularly good player. I never really thought he was terrible but at his peak he’s simply bang-average; his loss is no real loss at all and so I couldn’t care less whether he’s playing on a pitch or in a car park – good riddance. My primary point here is about Didier Ndong. Upon hearing about this big mess, before long of course my innate sense of empathy kicked in and I tried to come up with some kind of explanation, some rationale that would allow me to view the whole mashugana nonsense from their points of view, or at the very least take the sting out of it and try to gain an impersonal, business-like perspective. Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images I have this tick where I have to play Devil’s advocate you see, and so my thinking went like this: Didier Ndong came to Sunderland AFC as a record signing in 2016 when we were fighting for stability in the Premier League. At 22 years old this was undoubtedly the highest level he had (and arguably would ever) play at, and we saw good things. We saw a player that was young and perhaps rash, but one who had clear talent and was seemingly willing to get stuck in. The club was upside down in quicksand with it’s feet sticking out of the ground while David Moyes was sinking alongside us with a stupid grin on his face talking about Britishness, whatever the f*ck that is. Within six months Moyes buggered off on a quest to drive half of East London to suicide and was replaced by Simon Grayson, a man whose “tactics” I had the misfortune of documenting for a short time during his tenure before it became so blatantly obvious that there were no tactics that I stopped bothering trying to find them. Etcetera, etcetera. My point is that in many ways Ndong was sold a lemon, a young foreign player brought to the dirtiest of scraps in the Premier League as a record-signing – with all the remarkable pressure that brings – only to find his promised land in upheaval and the path to glorious destiny crumbling at his feet. So that’s the empathy bit out of the way. What about the practical reality? How much money do we still owe for Didier Ndong? The last I heard we had paid a small percentage of the £13 million (rising to £17 million if I recall correctly?) fee. His former club Lorient are in no way responsible for his behaviour since his arrival in Sunderland, so there’s no reason for them to waive the fee. He himself isn’t in any way capable of reimbursing the club to that extent. What can we take away from him? The last three months wages? What will the club stand to gain beyond paying out money to punish a couple of fools? Unless the Ndong fee was part of the debt paid off by Ellis Short before his departure you’re looking at three or four times our entire transfer budget this season still owed for a player that we allegedly want to either terminate the contract of or lock in the academy and throw away the key, despite the fact that if we pursued the latter option, much like with Rodwell we would remain bound by law to continue paying wages regardless of whether he plays at all. I was willing to entertain all of these opinions at least until I saw what level of effort both players put into their apologies, and for some hint as to the feelings towards them in the dressing room. I was willing to conceive that there may be an avenue of redemption open for at least Ndong, who could actually serve a purpose in this league. Then this happened. Didier Ndong had the opportunity to be a man and face his responsibilities. He made a move to leave and screwed a lot of people over in the process, but now instead of falling in line and seeking forgiveness for what was clearly a d*ck move (and a waste of whatever he pays his agent) by getting his head down and working to earn some respect and empathy where there now is none, he did that. Posted a picture of himself poolside, soaking up the sun after a hard days work doing f*ck all while his team-mates are busting a gut getting ready to once more take the fight to our opponents for the sake of the badge. What a monumental, narcissistic tit. What a stupid, stupid boy. What a waste. The sad thing is that looking at it from a personal perspective I had considered that perhaps some fans were being a bit precious consider the realities of modern football. Players using our club as a stepping stone is hardly shocking to us – it’s happened since time immemorial at Sunderland AFC, let alone in football. It’s a sometimes regrettable but tolerable event occurring every year at all but the most successful of clubs, and clubs like ours in particular that spent a long time treading water without every actually swimming anywhere. Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images Not only that but the tactics Ndong, Djilobodji and their representatives engaged in is tried and tested. It doesn’t often work as we can clearly see but it isn’t alien to anyone that’s been paying attention to a transfer window or two. So why are we so enraged at the prospect of it being done to us now? Because we all need to buy into this - we all need Sunderland AFC to be better than it has been for so long. It’s showing signs of life but the edge it all balances on is so precarious that it would be so easy to fall off, and all of us are fully aware of it. The owners are aware of it – they need this season to be a success, that’s their plan and that’s why they spent their money and why they’re at the games and in the stands with the rest of us. The players are aware of it; they want to be playing at the most elite level possible, packing out huge stadiums across the country and becoming lost in the pomp and glory. For all the disappointment and sorrow that’s come before, it’s all happening and we’re all on the ground floor to watch it. Sunderland AFC via Getty Images I’ve heard more than a few fans say they’d worry for the team chemistry and morale if the outcasts were now to walk back into the dressing room; that it’s too risky to challenge the newfound equilibrium by bringing these dissenters into the ranks. I understand the place that concern comes from but in my opinion there is no chance of this brand of immature and unprofessional behaviour corrupting the equilibrium that seems to have manifested in that dressing room. It is not a thing a sulking child can break. Lee Cattermole almost acts like a barometer for me in this - a player who I honestly believed could no longer have given two ****s about another season slogging it as a Sunderland player mere months ago. He is testament to the reforged camaraderie now present, and which has been missing through years of disaster. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that while stupidity can be explained away or even forgiven, ignorance really can’t be excused, and that’s precisely what Didier Ndong and his representatives are guilty of. It isn’t merely a difference of perspective or a lack of understanding or appreciation of both parties needs and circumstances, it’s a wanton and flagrant act of deliberate and willful ignorance by a contractually-obligated employee and his hangers-on. I’ve tried to rationalise and understand but it has brought me to only one conclusion - Ndong’s actions as a player and a man are inexcusable. The reality is that simply because of the almost extraordinary levels of short-sightedness in the application of employment law to the Football industry, I would wager that whatever legal battle Sunderland AFC engage in with both errant players results in very little by way of remunerations or satisfaction of any kind for either club or employee. I think then that the truth is that things have become personal. The owners will not brook this degree of insult and will not be seen doing so, even if they have to fight to achieve that. Whether you believe that business is reckless or principled, it’s important to bear in mind that often those two things come hand in hand. There’s no point in having principles if you aren’t willing to stand for them. If the owners believe they can make an example of these prats all power to them. We’ve got things to be getting on with, and the sooner this bad noise is behind us the sooner we can forge ahead.
But doesn't give him the excuse to go AWOL or remain it. He breached contract first. He's got no case at all. As you say, prob why the PFA have said nowt
If you look at my full post I am agree I g with you. The point I was making here is that some people are say that he had to take one of the offers from other clubs. That would not fly if the employer tried to argue that he had to take the lower contract.
And if you look, you'll find i liked said post in acknowledgement. Didn't realise were having a difference of opinion, i just thought we were having a conversation. never mind, crack on.
ROKER ROUNDUP: Didier Ndong & Sunderland situation nears end as report claims he ‘fears arrest’ 4 Sources close to Didier Ndong have been speaking to the media in Gabon, offering up details on what is going on with the player and Sunderland - suggesting that he’s afraid, and fears arrest should he come back. By Andy Tomlinson@SAFCsource Sep 21, 2018, 7:00am BST SHARE please log in to view this image Your daily reminder of Sunderland news! Ndong fears arrest After Papy Djilobodji was sacked, the future of Didier Ndong is still up in the air with the Gabon international still AWOL from the club. According to reports in his homeland, Ndong is terrified of the repercussions from his failure to return to Sunderland and believes he may get arrested at the airport should he actually return. Speaking to Gabonese outlet iSport, a ‘source’ close to the player says a London-based negotiator has been commissioned to talk to Jack Ross about a potential return to the club for the player: In reality, Didier Ndong is afraid of reprisals and other sanctions that may be imposed on him by the club. He even thinks he will be arrested at the airport because he has left the club for almost 7 months. Remember that the club is very up against him, including some of the audience. So it’s hard for him right now. For this purpose, we commissioned a London-based negotiator to negotiate with Jack Ross, the team’s manager, for his return to the Blacks Cats. We hope they understand.We understand that the club are in talks with the player’s representatives in order to work out a deal and are hopeful that the situation is nearing its end, with the likely outcome being that Ndong will be released from his contract in exchange for a fee and a cut of future income from potential transfer sales. please log in to view this image Fears arrest
