Droylsden v Man City

 

Leeds manager, Don Revie leaving the Butchers' Arms pitch after meeting the players.  In 1974 Revie became England manager, a job he held until 1977 when he quit the post after learning that he was about to be sacked.  Before Revie resigned, he approached the FA and offered to go if they paid up his contract (£50,000) AND gave him a further £50,000 golden handshake.  The FA asked Revie if he had another job lined up and Revie denied that he had.  However the FA were shocked when they later learned that Revie had in fact secretly found himself another job as manager of the United Arab Emirates and had negotiated a £340,000 tax free four year contract with them whilst he was still manager of England.

The FA charged Revie with acting deceitfully and damaging the image of football. Revie refused to attend the subsequent FA hearing and was promptly suspended from any involvement with football under the FA's jurisdiction.  Revie was then given a ten year ban for bringing the game into disrepute,  but in 1979 he had the decision to ban him successfully overturned in the High Court.  His record as England manager over the three years he had been in charge was not impressive.  Under Revie, England had played 29 internationals, winning 14 and losing seven: he'd failed to take them past the European championships qualifying stages and was - barring a miracle - about to see them fail to reach the World Cup finals in Argentina.

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