Jonas Gutierrez is suing Newcastle United for £2m.
The Argentine winger, who spent seven years with the Magpies, is suing the club for disability discrimination, claiming Newcastle froze him out during his year long battle with cancer, and took steps to prevent his contract being renewed.
Gutierrez broke down in tears while giving evidence during the first day of his employment tribunal hearing in Birmingham, following a heated exchange with Newcastle’s lawyers, according to the Guardian.
The 32 year old, who is currently playing for Deportivo La Coruna in Spain, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in October 2013 and claims he was forced to pay for his own treatment.
Gutierrez returned to Newcastle’s first team a year later, but said on Tuesday afternoon that his games were managed to prevent him reaching a certain number of appearances that would have triggered a contract extension.
Gutierrez’s witness statement read:
“Due to their concerns about my cancer I consider that the club then ensured that I would not be selected to start in a sufficient number of matches to trigger the option.
“In late April 2015 I was told the club may consider offering me a new playing contract but would only consider this at the end of the season.
“However, I knew by this stage the club had taken steps to ensure the automatic option in the contract was not triggered. I found it difficult to believe that they would in any event offer me a new contract.”
The 32 year old claims the club’s discrimination against him started two months after he was diagnosed, and then manager Alan Pardew told him that he was not part of his plans, and free to find another club.
“I think they feared that my illness would mean that I could no longer play at the highest level and they considered me to be a liability rather than an asset to the club,” Gutierrez said.
The Argentine also claimed that he felt neglected by the club’s hierarchy while he was undergoing treatment.
“During my chemotherapy treatment, neither the manager, Alan Pardew, nor any club directors contacted me to see how I was feeling or to congratulate me on my recovery,” he said.
“This was incredibly disappointing after everything I had done for the club.”
The Argentine, who scored on the final day of last season at home to West Ham, helping secure Newcastle’s Premier League survival, was released by the club last summer via phone call.
The hearing continues.
