Derby to appeal decision ordering them to pay Richard Keogh £2m in compensation

Keogh was sacked by Derby in 2019, shortly after he was involved in a car accident

Derby County will reportedly appeal against a tribunal decision which orders the Championship club to pay £2m in compensation to their former captain, Richard Keogh. Keogh suffered a career-threatening knee injury in a car accident in the early weeks of the 2019/2020 season. His contract, which still had 21 months to run on it, was later cancelled by Derby in October 2019. The Republic of Ireland international has since returned to football but appealed to an employment tribunal over his departure from Derby. After Keogh won the appeal, the club were ordered to pay £2m to him in compensation. However, Sky Sports now report that Derby are set to appeal against the tribunal decision in an attempt to avoid paying the money ahead of a potential club takeover. Keogh had been out with teammates on the night of the crash. He was in the back of a vehicle which collided with a lamppost. His former Derby teammates Tom Lawrence and Mason Bennett were later convicted of drink driving, fined six weeks' wages and ordered to complete 80 hours of community service. Lawrence remains at Pride Park while Bennett completed a permanent move to Millwall in the summer. Despite a lengthy recovery period, Keogh joined MK Dons in the summer. After 22 appearances for the League One side, he completed a move back to the Championship by joining former club Huddersfield earlier this month, playing in the game against Millwall on Wednesday.