Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino still hasn't paid legal costs to Lucy Ward eight months after being ordered to

Ward, one of football's most respected and experienced welfare officers, has also called for the FA to investigate Adam Pearson and Stuart Hayton over her unfair dismissal

Massimo Cellino still owes Lucy Ward £360,000 after unfairly dismissing her from Leeds United (Getty)

The Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino has failed to pay the legal costs demanded of him eight months ago by the industrial tribunal panel which found he unfairly dismissed Lucy Ward, one of football’s most respected and experienced welfare officers.

Cellino, who was suspended from football by the FA for 18 months last week over a breach of agent rules, was ordered by the tribunal in Leeds to pay out £70,000 in legal costs as well as £290,000 to Ward, after behaving in an “oppressive” and “high handed” manner before sexually discriminating against her in the process of sacking her. The tribunal heard that Cellino decided Ward must go because he also wanted to sack manager Neil Redfearn, her partner, and considered the two of them “a pair.”

Cellino did not respond to requests for comments on Thursday, but in her first interview since her dismissal, Ward told The Independent that winning the case had not made up for the loss of a career which she was uncertain she could build up again. “You might win a case and you might get some money, but it doesn’t replace what you’ve lost,” said Ward, who fears that the stigma among employers attached to winning an employment tribunal may make it difficult for her to find work at a club again.

The FA is in receipt of a copy of the tribunal’s judgment in the case of Ward, who wants the governing body to investigate the conduct. The 42-year-old is equally concerned that the FA investigate Adam Pearson, the former Hull City and Derby County executive who carried out Cellino’s orders to sack her. The tribunal found Pearson to be “evasive” under questioning by Ward’s QC, Nick Randall.

Ward, who is now developing a broadcasting career with BT Sport and the BBC, said: “The FA asked for the judgement because they want to investigate Cellino, Pearson and [club secretary Stuart] Hayton. “I’m keen that it’s pushed through because [Pearson] is looking to buy clubs and he shouldn’t get away with behaving how he did. I’m keen for the FA to look at it, which I’m sure they are because the judgement is there in black and white.”

Ward helped develop academy players such as James Milner and Fabian Delph (Paul David Drabble)

The transcript of Ward’s remedy hearing, seen by The Independent, reveals the concern that the lack of a public apology to Ward from Cellino would leave potential employers thinking “there was no smoke without fire.” The hearing also included a discussion of how “any potential employer who did a ‘Google’ search of her name would consider her an employment risk because of all the publicity surrounding the case.”

There has been no public apology from Cellino and though one was included in a letter written to the court two weeks before the remedy hearing, he insisted after the tribunal found for Ward that he would not apologise and that “we are talking about some kind of revenge from an employee who has been fired.”

Ward oversaw the development of around 250 young players in an 11-year career as welfare and education officer at the Leeds United Thorp Arch Academy, including James Milner, Fabian Delph and Sam Byram.