Finnish side Ilves sack manager Keith Armstrong for missing match to present TV

Finnish club FC Ilves have sacked their English manager Keith Armstrong after he missed a match to appear on TV as a pundit.

Armstrong, 57, chose to present Premier League coverage on Finnish channel MTV3 instead of attending last Sunday's game against league leaders Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho.

The former Sunderland and Newport County winger has enjoyed a successful season in charge at newly-promoted Ilves, and had almost guided the club to safety in the Finnish top division, the Veikkausliiga.

However, he will now be replaced in the final three fixtures of the season by caretaker manager Marco Baruffato, with the team currently in eighth place.  

Ilves' chairman Tomi Erola explained the decision to sack Armstrong in a statement on the club's website.

"A common path is no longer found in the future. The team is now focusing firmly on the season's last matches in the Veikkausliiga," he said.

Armstrong is now threatening the club with legal action, believing his contract at the club should have been amended at the start of the season in order to accommodate his TV career.

"He was not financially compensated for loss of TV work," read a statement from Armstrong's lawyer.

"He took over a first division club who were unexpectedly promoted but his contract hasn't changed. He regrets the negative publicity this has attracted to Ilves, the league and Finnish football."