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Soccer-Keogh wins compensation claim against Derby after 'wrongful dismissal'

Championship - Huddersfield Town v Cardiff City

(Reuters) - Former Derby County defender Richard Keogh has won a compensation claim after the English Football League (EFL) ruled he had been wrongfully dismissed by the club in 2019 following a car accident.

Keogh sustained knee ligament damage in the crash in September 2019 while two of his team mates were charged with drink-driving. Derby terminated Keogh's contract a month later for gross misconduct due to his involvement in the crash.

However, a Player Related Dispute Commission (PRDC) ruled the 34-year-old was entitled to a full payout on his original contract until June 2021, with British media reporting it would amount to 2.3 million pounds ($3.24 million).

"The PRDC held that Mr Keogh had not committed gross misconduct, that he had not brought the club into serious disrepute, and that he had been wrongfully dismissed by the club," the EFL said in a statement.

The decision is another blow to Derby after the EFL also won its appeal against a disciplinary commission clearing the club of financial misconduct with respect to the amortisation of players' registrations.

British media reported that Derby, who narrowly avoided relegation from the Championship (second-tier), could start next season with a significant points deduction or be relegated to League One due to potential sanctions related to the club's accounting policies.

($1 = 0.7089 pounds)

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)