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Tribunal says coach in age discrimination row 'needed to get a move on'

A former professional footballer, now 46, has lost an application for extra time in trying to win a compensation claim for age discrimination against the Football Association at Staffordshire.

Roger Murphy who used to play for Chesterfield before moving to other clubs, alleged at Birmingham Employment Tribunal that he was refused a coaching job with the FA because he was too old.

Thomas Cordrey, representing the FA, told the tribunal that former midfielder Roger Murphy should have acted more quickly in registering his tribunal claim and added: “He needed to get a move on.”

Mr Murphy who lives at Dewsbury, was seeking permission at the preliminary tribunal hearing to go ahead with his compensation claim for age dis- crimination against the FA at a full tribunal hearing later this year.

He said he had applied for a coaching job with the FA in Staffordshire - the reason why his tribunal claim was heard at Birmingham - and planned to move to Stafford if his application had been successful.

Staffordshire has extensive coaching facilities for youngsters at Technology Park, Stafford.

But Mr Murphy was told that his compensation claim had been lodged with the tribunal beyond the three month deadline.

He asked the tribunal to extend the application period and allow his claim to go ahead.

Mr Cordrey urged the tribunal not to grant Murphy extra time and successfully applied to judge Charles Camp to strike out the case.

He said Murphy had been two months too late registering his claim. He alleged Mr Murphy had been given advice about the deadline and had plenty of time to make his claim within the required period.

Mr Murphy said he was pioneering a campaign for people over the age of 40 who were still good enough to be football coaches.

“I have been told that only 19 people aged over 40 have been accepted as coaches by the FA from dozens of applications in recent years,” he said. “ I have now applied for seven coaching jobs without success.

“We are part of the footballing community and I believe I have not been treated fairly by the FA.”

Mr Murphy had to leave the tribunal before a decision was announced because he had to catch a coach back to Dewsbury.

Mr Camp said later that the tribunal did not have the jurisdiction to allow the hearing to go ahead because the claim had been made past the three month deadline.

A tribunal spokesman said later that extensions were sometimes allowed but only in exceptional circumstances.

Told later that his claim had been rejected, Mr Murphy replied: “I am considering making an appeal because I believe I have a good case.”

Murphy played mainly for Chesterfield reserves from 1996 to 1998 before moving to Dagenham Redbridge and finally Hartlepool United. He later played in exhibition matches in the USA. 

Article from Staffordshire Newsletter