June 26 2007

Simon Jordan and Iain Dowie

Simon Jordan insists he won't drop his £1 million claim off former Crystal Palace manager Iain Dowie after his High Court victory.

Judge Mr Justice Tugendhat last week found Dowie guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation when he negotiated his way out of his Palace contract to join Charlton for free.

Tugendhat ordered Dowie to pay Jordan's £363,000 lawyers' bill plus his own costs. In November, a judge will decide if Dowie must pay Jordan £1m, which is the amount a club had to give Palace if Dowie left while under contract.

Jordan said: "He has racked up enormous bills and made me rack up enormous bills. But it could have been sorted out if he was up front and honest.

"He's a big boy and takes responsibility for his actions. He took decisions to make representations to me and the consequences are his to bear."

Dowie's counsel Michael McParland claimed the court costs were "cataclysmic" for Dowie and his family.

But Jordan said: "I very much doubt that statement is anything other than posturing to get sympathy, and possible sympathy in the light of damages.

"It's a case of them saying 'Jordan has money and Dowie doesn't so feel sorry for him'. The reality is if you've lost, you pay. There's no reason for me to stop the damages case. No chance.

"I'm the good guy and I won. I proved my case and I'm entitled to my return. If I'd lost, I'd have had to pay £1m in costs.

"The damages could be a million, they could be £300,000 or another amount. It's up to a judge to decree. But the damages are based on what I lost - and I lost £1million.

"I'm not putting Dowie in this position, he put himself in it. If he had said to me 'I want to go to Charlton, will you negotiate on compensation?' I would have done it. But he didn't do that.

"And he didn't have to sit there and base his whole case on my character assassination. I based my case on facts - telephone records, computer records and records of conversations he had."

Jordan added: "Two weeks before the case, by communication to my lawyer, they asked us to drop the case and pay their costs. We didn't - we went to court and proved our case.

"He must pay £150,000 - a quarter of the costs - now. Their lawyers said 42 days to pay and my lawyer didn't really question it. It was very generous.

"You normally expect the money in 14 days. If I'd lost I'm sure they would have asked for it from me immediately."