Is there a tougher gig in the Premier League than being Newcastle’s PR officer?
The Tyneside club has been called everything from “toxic” to “poisonous” in the British media in recent years and now they face a legal battle with a former employee that is unlikely to make them any more likeable.
Jonas Gutierrez was released by Newcastle in the summer after rebounding from cancer and making a full recovery, scoring the goal that ensured Newcastle’s Premier League survival in May.
The Daily Mail report that the Argentine, now playing in La Liga for Deportivio La Coruna, is suing his former club for £2million (€2.7million) for his treatment during his year-long battle with testicular cancer.
Gutierrez, 32, is reportedly suing under the 2010 equality act which relates to discriminatory treatment of employees based on a mental or physical disability.
Gutierrez’s seven-year spell at St James Park ended in unceremonious circumstances as it was an unexpected phonecall from then-manager John Carver that informed the player that his contract would not be renewed by the Magpies.
“I think man to man, face to face is the nice thing to do,” Gutierrez told BBC Radio 5 Live in the summer. “It made me think they don’t care about anything.”
He added: “I had been there seven years, I always did my best. The only 18 months I didn’t play was because I was going through my illness.
“Maybe they could have told me before the end of the season so I could say thank you to the fans on the pitch after the last game.”
