Premier League - Pulis pleads relegation to dodge driving ban
Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has dodged a driving ban after his lawyer won an extraordinary argument in court.
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Pulis was clocked doing 96mph in his BMW in a 60mph zone on the M42 after seeing his men thrashed 5-0 at Bolton, an offence that saw him exceed 12 points on his licence - and should therefore have earned him an automatic ban.
But according to a report in The Sun, his solicitor Mike Stephenson successfully argued to magistrates that Pulis would be so badly affected by losing his licence that it would put the club in danger of relegation - a punishment which would affect a huge number of people, businesses who have sunk £60 million into the club and several charities that Pulis supports up and down the country.
"They would suffer if they were relegated as a result - and the children who he would not be able to assist and the people of Stoke could suffer if Mr Pulis lost his licence," Stephenson told Leamington Spa Magistrates' Court.
Stoke are currently 14th in the table, 12 points clear of the relegation places with 10 matches left of the season.
Pulis, who is estimated to earn £1m a year, also claimed he could not use a chauffeur in case his driver discovered and then leaked secret details of transfers.
The Stoke boss was fined £2,500 but allowed to carry on driving despite now having 15 points on his licence.
Eurosport
What a joke this is.
