Kanu’s Pompey Sack 33 Staff

The administrator of Kanu Nwankwo’s club in England, Portsmouth FC, has made 33 staff redundant, including the chief executive, David Lampitt, and asked the players to defer their wages, in an effort to keep the financially stricken club in business.

Staff at all levels, from Lampitt and his two fellow directors to coaches at the club’s academy were laid off by Trevor Birch, of the accountant PKF, which described the measures as necessary “if the club is to continue to exist”.

The employees were distressed and several were in tears after they were told in meetings that their jobs had been cut with immediate effect. Portsmouth fell into administration last week for the second time in two years, owing £2million in unpaid tax, after the owner who had been bankrolling the club, Vladimir Antonov, was arrested for alleged bank fraud in Lithuania.

Birch said the savings he is making, which also include asking some staff to work part-time instead of full-time, amount to approximately £400,000 a month. Describing the cuts as a “difficult decision” and “painful for everyone involved with the club”, Birch said they were “essential” to ensure the club survives, even just to the end of this season.