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Finance furore follows Fry feature

A row over football manager Barry Fry's wages has led the editor of an evening paper to speak out on a leak from Peterborough United FC to say: "You've got the wrong man".

Peterborough Utd has been up for sale for a year and many people believe Fry is hindering the club, as a financial deficit during his tenure is due to top £7m.

The Evening Telegraph gave his salary as £104,000, and stated he also picked up ten percent of profits on transfers and a cut of the gate money.

And fingers have been pointing ever since the paper revealed payments to Fry totalling more than £230,000 in one year.

It carried the figures last week as it attempted to unravel the behind-the-scenes story of the club.

Editor Kevin Booth said: "We've been writing a lot about the club in the time it has been for sale and more recently ran a story looking at the perilous state of the club's finances.

"I don't think his wages would be shown on the company accounts but we were shown a copy of his contract and I made a decision to run those details in the light of the club's finances.

"It was particularly relevant in that there are a number of league clubs that were going into administration or looking perilous and laying off staff to meet substantial payments."

The manager has been in touch with the League Managers Association about the revelations of what it calls "highly privileged" information, and the organisation has hit out over the disclosure.

Suspicion has been levelled at club vice-chairman Roger Terrell.

The editor said in the paper: "Details of Barry Fry's contract were given to the newspaper by a source who displayed a huge amount of faith in us when handing over the information.

"I have no intention whatsoever of betraying that trust by revealing who that individual was.

"All I will say, in the light of the LMA statement and threat of legal action against Roger Terrell, is that it is totally wrong to suggest he leaked the document."

The Evening Telegraph has enjoyed a bulging postbag since the revelations and although the vast majority thought he should not be paid that amount, others feel that was the price to pay for a high-profile manager.

It has also carried follow-ups and a reader poll, by phone and Internet, on whether Fry is worth his wages. Sixty-nine per cent thought not.

Do you have a story about the regional press? Ring 0116 227 3122/3121, or
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