DERBY HIT BY £2M KEOGH BILL

Ex- Ireland star wins appeal after sacking over car crash

DERBY face having to pay their sacked former captain Richard Keogh around £2million after he won an appeal at a tribunal over his dismissal following a car crash.

Keogh was left with a career-threatening knee injury following the accident and Derby terminated his contract.

But Sportsmail has learned that the former Republic of Ireland centre-back has had his appeal upheld by an employment tribunal. So Derby have been ordered to make a financial settlement to Keogh, who had 21 months left on a contract worth £1.3m a year when he was dismissed.

Derby are understood to be preparing their own appeal against the tribunal’s verdict, although it has been claimed the club could be stalling due to financial problems as owner Mel Morris seeks to complete a proposed takeover by Derventio Holdings. There are fears the takeover could collapse as Sheik Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan is reportedly yet to provide proof of funds.

Keogh had his contract terminated by Derby in October 2019 following the car crash that also involved team-mates Tom Lawrence and Mason Bennett. The 34-year-old Keogh, who did not

play for over a year after the crash in which he was a passenger, had appeals rejected by both Derby and the EFL before his success at an employment tribunal. Derby’s decision to sack Keogh contrasted with their treatment of the drivers of the two vehicles involved in the high-speed crash, Lawrence and Bennett, who were fined six weeks wages and ordered to do 80 hours of community service and rehabilitation. The pair were also found guilty of drinkdriving at Derby Magistrates’ Court, a verdict which resulted in them being given a further fine, a two-year driving ban and another 180 hours of community service. Keogh sustained cruciate knee ligament damage in the smash in which he was in the back seat of Lawrence’s Range Rover, which crashed into the rear of Bennett’s Mercedes before skidding across a roundabout and hitting a lamp-post.

His contract was terminated when he did not accept Derby’s offer of a substantial reduction on his £1.3m-a-year deal. Keogh had made more than 300 appearances for the club, who declined to comment on yesterday’s tribunal outcome. Having signed for MK Dons in England’s League One on a free transfer last summer, Keogh made 18 appearances this season, before joining English Championship side Huddersfield Town yesterday. Huddersfield head coach Carlos Corberan is hopeful his presence can help his side climb the table. ‘Richard is a player with an amazing background and a lot of experience in the Championship,’ he said. ‘He has regularly played over 4,000 minutes per season at his previous clubs, and you need the combination of his experience alongside our young players to create a competitive team. ‘The competitive character he has, and the respect he has for his job, are very important values within our group.’