LINNETS IN FURY AT TOM ‘TAP-UP’
ANGRY King’s Lynn Town chairman Stephen Cleeve has called on the National League to make a stand on the ‘tapping-up’ row which clouded manager Tommy Widdrington’s shock move to Aldershot Town.
Widdrington stunned chiefs when quitting as Linnets boss last Saturday night, just minutes after a 1-0 win over Chorley had strengthened their National League North title hopes.
That night, The NLP exclusively revealed that Aldershot were lining up a move for the former Salisbury, Hemel Hempstead and Eastbourne Borough boss and that link was confirmed the following day when it was announced Widdrington would replace Ross McNeilly, who returned to his former role as academy manager.
Tough-talking Cleeve, however, has not taken the matter lying down, especially with Aldershot chairman Shahid Azeem sitting on the board of the National League and the Linnets so close to potentially swapping places with the Hampshire club for a place on Non-League’s top table.
Technically, Aldershot haven’t broken any rules, but Cleeve insists there is a civil issue for both the club and Widdrington to answer and has called on the National League to act and introduce ‘tapping-up’ regulations for managers just as there is for players.
“There are a number of issues to consider here, not least that of compensation owed by Tommy for a lack of notice, but also the matter of whether Aldershot Town were induced in the breaching of that contract,” Cleeve, inset, told The NLP.
Not right
“In the Premier League and Football League they take the issue of tapping-up very seriously, carrying huge penalties, but the National League do not follow those same guidelines. It’s not right and makes us look so amateur.
“I have absolutely nothing against Mr Azeem personally, he’s always been very pleasant when we’ve met, but as a National League board member he has brought the game into disrepute and the league must act.
“He knows the rules and he knows what he has done is not right.
“The National League have to make a robust stand here. It’s not their fault what has happened but they need to either come out and say Mr Azeem has done nothing wrong, or agree that he has brought the game into disrepute and charge him.”
Cleeve revealed that legal documentation has been sent out to both Aldershot Town and Widdrington and warned that the matter will become a lot more serious if King’s Lynn ultimately fail in their promotion bid.
Outrageous
“If we do not go up, it will be a much bigger issue,” Cleeve added. “We were going very well and were very pleased with Tommy, who, let us not forget, was one of the best paid managers in the league.
“But for all the budget, commitment and resources to be suddenly pulled from us five weeks before the end of the season is not right.
“We’ve got a transfer deadline in place to prevent players from being poached at the last minute, but you can still tap up a manager? That’s just silly.
“It’s outrageous and we won’t take it lying down, but at the same time we have to keep our focus on the good people still at the club and give [interim manager] Mark Hughes and the players our 100 per cent support in helping to keep the promotion dream alive.”
Azeem, who was appointed High Sheriff of Surrey in 2020-21, insists Aldershot Town have done nothing wrong in their pursuit of Widdrington and welcomes any investigation.
He told The NLP: “If Mr Cleeve believes I have broken any rules he should refer to the relevant parties or governing bodies that we are aligned to and let them take it from there.
“Similarly, if he believes it is a civil matter, then he can pass that information on too to the relevant authorities.”