Judge brands Pulis conduct ‘disgraceful’

Court orders him to repay Palace £3.7m

which was for keeping them in the Premier League and staying beyond August 31, by saying he needed to buy some land for his children and that he was committed to the club. Palace agreed to give him the money on August 12, 2014. A day later, Pulis indicated his intention to leave due to a ‘heated player meeting’ and the next day, on the eve of the Premier League season, he left. Pulis denied fraudulent behaviour and claimed relevant evidence had been ignored in the initial hearing. but Mr Justice burton ruled that ‘no such land transaction’ existed and that Pulis had never intended to stay at the club beyond August 31. The judgement read: ‘Mr Pulis secured early payment of his bonus by deceit in August 2014. The day after ... he dropped the bombshell that he intended to leave, leaving the club, as must have been his intention, in the lurch on the eve of the new season. His conduct (prior to and during the litigation) has been shown to be disgraceful.’ Additional reporting: LAURIE WHITWELL

TONY PULIS was yesterday branded a fraudster by a High Court judge and ordered to pay Crystal Palace £3.7million in damages and compensation.

The West Bromwich Albion manager had been in dispute with his former club over a £2m bonus he received just before leaving them two years ago.

The case had gone to the Premier League Managers’ Arbitration Tribunal, who in March found in favour of the south London club. Pulis, 58, denied deceiving them into paying the bonus and challenged the findings in the High Court.

But in his judgement released yesterday, Mr Justice Burton made the damning decision that Pulis had lied in order to secure the fee early before walking out on Palace.

The court also ruled that Pulis had ‘deliberately misled’ Palace chairman Steve Parish over his intentions to stay at the club and called Pulis’s conduct ‘disgraceful’.

Palace had complained that Pulis tricked them into an early payment of the bonus