MATTY Etherington will not be in charge of Colchester United for their game at Accrington Stanley tomorrow - after it emerged he could have been in violation of his previous contract with Crawley Town.
Etherington has been placed in temporary charge following Ben Garner's dismissal last weekend but Crawley contacted the U's today to say they believe their former boss is still bound by a contract with them until May, 2024.
As a result, it has emerged that Colchester would need to pay a buy-out fee to Crawley if Etherington takes to the dugout tomorrow.
And the Reds subsequently turned down a request from U's chairman Robbie Cowling for Etherington to be in charge.
Etherington had a three-game spell in charge of Crawley last season before parting company with them in December, 2022.
As a result of the development, assistant head coach Scott Marshall and first-team coach Dave Huzzey will now be in charge of Colchester tomorrow.
📝 Club Statement: Matty Etherington will not be in charge of the team for tomorrow's game against Accrington Stanley. #ColU | #WeAreUnited
— Colchester United FC (@ColU_Official) October 27, 2023
Mr Cowling says he is now seeking legal advice, in order to try and iron out the matter with Crawley next week.
In a statement, Mr Cowling said: 'Following a series of phone calls and email exchanges with one of the owners of Crawley Town, I have found myself in a position where I must request that Matty Etherington steps down from his Interim Head Coach role for tomorrow’s game against Accrington Stanley.
'Crawley Town have alerted Colchester United to their concerns that Matty may be tempted to violate the contract he signed with Crawley when he initially accepted their managerial position in November 2022.
'At 3.34pm today, (Friday 27th October), I received a call from Eben Smith, who informed me that Crawley believe Matty is still bound by their contract until May 2024.
'Consequently, if Matty manages any of Colchester's games, a buy-out fee would be owed to Crawley.
'Personally I don’t agree with the Crawley position but given that we have less than twenty four hours before the game against Accrington, which is 250 miles away, I requested Crawley's permission for Matty to lead the team for this specific match while we seek legal counsel regarding the contract.
'Unfortunately, this request was denied. As a result, Matty Etherington has been asked to step down, and Scott Marshall will now take charge of the game tomorrow.
'Hopefully, we can seek the legal advice we need and sort the matter out with Crawley early next week.'
Etherington was placed in interim charge of Colchester on Monday, following Garner's dismissal.
He presided over the U's 3-2 win at Grimsby on Tuesday night but will now stand aside from the dugout, while the club seek legal advice.
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