Club and paper reach settlement

6:00am Friday 15th June 2007

WATFORD FC and the Watford Observer have reached an agreement to end their current legal dispute.

The matter was resolved following a meeting in London on Tuesday between representatives acting for both parties.

The club had threatened to sue the newspaper, editor Peter Wilson-Leary and deputy sports editor Kevin Affleck following an article published on Friday, May 11 under the headline "Club chiefs under fire".

Watford FC - An apology WE published a story on May 11 under the headline: Club Chiefs Under Fire. It reported on the contents of a letter sent to Watford Supporters' Trust from Mr Steve Simmons, former finance director at the club. In the letter, Mr Simmons criticised the running of the club by the present three-man board and the removal of directors Jimmy and Vince Russo. Readers should understand that the story was not meant, nor was it ever intended to mean, that the three remaining directors, Graham Simpson, Mark Ashton and Andrew Wilson, or Watford Leisure Plc, have acted deceitfully or dishonourably, or in breach of their duties to shareholders or in the furtherance of their own financial ends. We are happy to put the record straight and we apologise if the directors and the club were offended and distressed by our story.

This reported the contents of a letter written by the Hornets' former finance director Steve Simmons to Watford Supporters' Trust following the ousting of the Russo brothers, Jimmy and Vince, from the club's board.

The letter criticised the running of the club by the present board and the removal of directors Jimmy and Vince Russo.

Simmons, a Watford shareholder and lifelong Trust member, resigned from his post at Vicarage Road in March 2005.

The club released a statement following the agreement on Tuesday. In it the club stated it had to act because it felt so strongly about the statements made by Mr Simmons.

Watford chairman Graham Simpson said: "I am pleased that this matter has been dealt with and now we can put our energies into preparing for the forthcoming season.

"We felt that we had to make a stand on this occasion and a satisfactory outcome has now been reached."

As part of the settlement, the Observer has agreed to pay £3,000 in damages to the club's Community Sports and Education Trust.

Watford Observer editor Peter Wilson-Leary said: "I am pleased this matter has been resolved to everyone's satisfaction.

"I am sure no one wished to see the town's local newspaper and football club facing each other in court."