Blackburn Rovers apologises to former manager Sam Allardyce over Steve Kean rant (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Blackburn Rovers apologises to former manager Sam Allardyce over Steve Kean rant

9:52am Tuesday 8th January 2013 in News By Bill Jacobs, Local government reporter

BLACKBURN Rovers have apologised to former manager Sam Allardyce over a rant about him by his successor Steve Kean as part of a legal settlement to a defamation claim.

The three parties finalised the terms of the deal which involves the club paying Mr Allardyce, now manager of West Ham, a sum believed to be around £15,000 plus costs.

In July, Mr Allardyce sued both Mr Kean and Rovers after footage, filmed by a fan in a Hong Kong bar during the team’s pre-season tour in 2011, was posted on website YouTube.

The clip, which ran for four minutes and three seconds, showed Mr Kean apparently talking to fans about his predecessor in highly critical terms.

Blackburn Rovers issued a statement entitled “Sam Allardyce: An Apology” as part of the settlement agreed in principle by the lawyers for the three parties last week and confirmed in detail yesterday.

It reads: “During the summer of 2011, Mr Steve Kean was this club’s manager and accompanied the players of Blackburn Rovers on a pre-season tour of the Far East.

“Whilst in Hong Kong, Mr Kean was in a bar and falsely alleged that Sam Allardyce, our previous manager, was sacked by us because he was a crook.

“This is completely false and we apologise to Mr Allardyce for the embarrass– ment and distress caused to him by Mr Kean.”

A spokesman for Mr Kean, who quit Rovers in September, confirmed the deal saying: “The terms of the settlement are strictly confidential between the parties.”