Dale Vince sends strong message after Portsmouth swoop for off-field figure | OneFootball

Forest Green Rovers owner Dale Vince has hit out at Portsmouth after revealing they didn’t ask for permission before speaking to Richard Hughes about their sporting director role.

The south coast side announced this morning that the 34-year-old has taken up the key off-field position and will begin work next month.

Pompey had tried to appoint Hughes in the summer but he ended up staying with Forest Green at the time, before the latest approach prompted a change of heart.

However, speaking to the BBC, Vince was not happy with the way Portsmouth had conducted themselves, as he felt they didn’t follow EFL regulations.

“This is the second time that Portsmouth have made an approach and the second time they have done so in breach of EFL regulations – we expected better.

“The rules are clear, clubs must not approach staff or players of other clubs before having written consent. Portsmouth disregarded this rule again. They approached Rich before asking for permission let alone before getting it. This aspect of football needs to change.”

9 quiz questions about Portsmouth’s stadium – Can you score full marks?

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In what year was the ground opened?

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The verdict

Obviously this has not gone down well with Forest Green and you can understand the frustration if a formal approach hasn’t been made.

In truth, you suspect this sort of thing goes on quite a lot but it’s still not the way to go about things and you can understand Vince’s comments.

Ultimately though, Hughes has decided to take this opportunity and it seems like a shrewd addition for Pompey given the work he has done over the years.