Butler 'lost interest in football'

Sunderland felt the need to clarify what had happened as Butler, who has two caps for Ireland, has brought them to an employment tribunal claiming unfair dismissal. A club statement claimed that Butler told Mick McCarthy, back in January, that he had lost him enthusiasm for the game and he no longer wanted to play competitive football.

What's more, they claim that he revealed that he had no interest in the results in the matches he was playing in. The club then let him go back to Ireland to sort his head. When he didn't return they tracked him down and he again announced his desire to resign.

The club say they finally accepted this and when his advisors came to them at a later date saying that he wanted to play football again, the club decided to decline, having taken professional advice. They say they had not made the issue public before now to protect Butler's reputation and were stunned that he brought this tribunal against the club.

Butler, who has since joined Dunfermline, denies these allegations though. He claims that he went home to Ireland to recover from injury, when the club informed him he'd breached his contract. He claims that he had to train on his own for a couple of months. He also has attacked the Sunderland fans for their unfair expectations but has cleared Mick McCarthy of any wrongdoing.

The tribunal continues.