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Lee Bowyer is taking a 48-hour cooling-off period before deciding his next move as Peter Ridsdale claims Leeds have ‘every right’ to fine him.
Bowyer and his agent will take the time to consider their options, as everyone else involved looks for a way out of the current mess involving the £15million-rated midfielder.
The Whites slapped Bowyer on the transfer list yesterday after he refused to pay a club fine of four weeks' wages, imposed as punishment for breaking the club's code of conduct on the night student Sarfraz Najeib was attacked in Leeds city centre.
Although Bowyer was cleared of GBH and affray, Leeds chairman Ridsdale said the club had every right to impose an internal punishment.
“The club has every right to ask that players, whoever they maybe, who breach club discipline are prepared to accept they need to re-establish themselves as role models in the community,” Ridsdale said.
“Given how much professional footballers earn these days I do not think it is too much to accept that Lee should pay a fine of four weeks' wages.
”We would put this money into the community, it is not as if the club would be saving it for itself.“
Ridsdale hopes Bowyer will accept the fine and reconsider his future with the club. He said: ”I would hope that he could continue to work with Jonathon Woodgate and others within our community programme.
“We want Lee to play football for Leeds United. He is a very valuable member of the squad, but I think to not accept a fine in addition to the two-week maximum, given the circumstances, is wrong of Lee.”
Bowyer maintains that he has no problem in continuing his work in the community, but disagrees with the size of the fine and Nick Cusack, chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association, told TEAMtalk that Bowyer may launch an appeal with the PFA regarding the strictness of his fine.
“The player is at liberty not to accept that and he'll probably appeal and I imagine he would win that appeal because the maximum fine is two weeks' wages,” he said.
Bowyer himself claims that he is being victimised, but still hopes he has a future at Elland Road.
He said: “Leeds United has placed me on the transfer list against my wishes. This follows a club disciplinary hearing to which I was not invited.
”I have not refused to work in the club's community programme. I have done so in the past and would continue to do so as part of Leeds United's normal programme. Given these circumstances I could not accept the disciplinary findings. However, I wish to place on record that I still wish to play for Leeds United."