Former Tottenham, West Ham and Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe eyes legal action after Woking statement
Former England man in war of words with non-league side after quitting as manager
Former Woking manager Jermain Defoe says he is considering legal action following a statement made by the club’s director of football Jody Brown which Defoe claims is defamatory.
On Thursday afternoon, former Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Portsmouth and Sunderland striker Defoe made the shock announcement that he was standing down from his position as manager at Woking after just four months in charge and the National League season just a fortnight away.
In announcing his departure, the ex-Tottenham and West Ham United star, said in a statement on X: “My time at Woking FC has been an eye-opening managerial experience and one that will undoubtedly make me stronger for the next challenge.”
In the same statement, Defoe thanked chairman Todd Johnson for the opportunity and that he was ‘extremely proud of the work’ that had been done during his short time at the Laithwaite Community Stadium.
With many questions left unanswered as to the reason why Defoe was walking away, Woking’s director of football, released a statement of the club’s website on Saturday morning, which was still available this Monday, claiming, that the former England striker had failed to deliver a ‘brief report outlining the squad’s current depth, recruitment targets and any operational challenges’ and that Defoe did not attend a ‘scheduled’ meeting and also failed to attend ‘that day’s training session’.
The statement read: “Jermain Defoe was an outstanding player, scored a vast number of goals, and is a very likeable guy.
“The feeling I get from within the football industry and its global support is not one of great surprise, but of course our own fanbase want and deserve some kind of clarity.
“The recommendation to appoint Jermain as manager was mine, and I take full responsibility for it. After meeting with him on several occasions, I believed he was the right person to lead the club into an exciting new era.
"As we have seen many times before, success as a player does not always translate into management and leadership. I sincerely hope to see him succeed in whichever direction he follows.
“I do not intend to discuss internal matters more than necessary or attribute blame.”
Brown went on to say the ‘club was fully committed to supporting Jermain’ and that the manager had been heavily involved in player recruitment, staffing decisions and football matters and that the departure was a surprise.
In the statement, Brown claimed that there had been feedback across the club ‘including players, staff and other departments’ to ‘growing concerns’ and that he asked Defoe for a report on the squad, potential targets and ‘any operational challenges’. The Cards director of football said that report was never received despite being ‘requested on more than one occasion’.
Brown, in his statement said that a meeting was scheduled and that Defoe did not attend or go to training that day.
Following this statement from the club, the Surrey Advertiser contacted Defoe’s representatives for a response.
They told the Advertiser: “The statement issued by Jody Brown is highly detrimental to Jermain’s reputation, and amounts to a serious defamation of character. The statement also suggests that Jermain was making unreasonable demands, which is simply untrue.
“Jermain is therefore taking immediate legal advice and intends to pursue appropriate legal action in relation to the statements made.”
