A tribunal has made a maximum-compensation €26,000 award to former Bohemian FC coach David Henderson over his dismissal from the League of Ireland premier division club.
The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found he was subjected to a fabricated allegation of misconduct when the club “got rid” of him in a “ruthless and dishonest” redundancy last winter.
An adjudicator from the WRC found there was “no evidence” to back up claims by the Bohs management that the club’s finances were in trouble to the extent it had to get rid of the ex-player and coach, who was drawing wages of just €250 a week.
In a decision published on Wednesday, the tribunal found The Bohemian Football Club CLG to be breach of the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 on foot of a complaint by Mr Henderson over his dismissal by telephone on November 30th, 2024.
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Giving evidence to the tribunal, the club’s president had said a budget review process last October and November concluded that “cutbacks” were needed at the club in 2025 and had “looked at the complainant’s position”.
The club president said Bohemians had booked “significant losses” in 2023 and had projected losses for 2024 - with a decision made at an early November 2024 board meeting that the role of “recruitment” was not needed.
After the board meeting, he instructed the club’s director of football to tell Mr Henderson his “services were no longer required and were being dispensed with”.
Adjudication officer Christina Ryan said that when she questioned the club president he could not confirm the date of the board meeting.
He also confirmed that Mr Henderson “was not put on notice” of potential redundancies at the club, had no opportunity to take part in a consultation process and had “no forewarning” of the phone call on November 30th ending his employment.
Mr Henderson told the commission he had been involved with the club at various stages as player, scout and coach – and since 2023 had been head of recruitment, goalkeeping coach for the men’s first team, coach for the women’s team and chief scout for the Bohemian FC academy.
He said the director of football first referenced “a budgeting issue” when he phoned to remove him from his post.
When he replied that this “did not make sense”, given all he did for the club for €250 a week, the director of football then mentioned “anonymous verbal complaints and a historic letter of complaint”, he said.
Mr Henderson said he had been given “no prior warning, investigation or opportunity to respond before his dismissal” and that “multiple requests” for details of the allegations and “supposed letter of complaint” had gone unanswered.
Under questioning from the adjudicator, the club president admitted “no letter of complaint ever existed”.
Mr Henderson said he had such concerns for his reputation and professional standing, given he worked with underage and female players, that he wrote to the Football Association of Ireland’s safeguarding department asking it to pursue the matter – with the FAI’s child protection officer confirming there was no letter.
He said if the allegations did exist then he wanted them formally investigated to ensure fairness to himself and any potential complainants.
In her decision on the case, Ms Ryan wrote: “These allegations were a gross fabrication designed to, for whatever reason, get rid of the complainant.”
She said the club had not been able to “substantiate the assertion that the financial position of the respondent was such that it would justify the redundancy or the role of recruitment”. It had, in fact, presented “no documentary evidence” on its financial position, Ms Ryan said.
“It was apparent that the complainant remained involved in football at League of Ireland, college and grassroots level because of his love of the game of football. He was not only an employee of the respondent but a former player, and the treatment he was subjected to by the respondent was shocking,” she said.
Ms Ryan said the dismissal was “nothing more than a sham redundancy carried out in a ruthless and dishonest manner without a single thought for the personal damage the respondent was inflicting on the complainant”.
She awarded Mr Henderson €26,000 in compensation – and said it was the “upper limit” that she was in a position to award.
