Brighton owner Tony Bloom again decided to sit with fans in the away end for their trip to Brentford on Saturday amid his ongoing feud with Bees chief Matthew Benham. The pair have not spoken since 2004 after parting ways professionally before a legal dispute further soured their relationship.
Bloom is known for avoiding the directors box at the Gtech Stadium during Premier League clashes to steer clear of Benham and instead opts to sit with the supporters during away days at the London ground. And it was no different on Saturday afternoon after Bloom was pictured smiling in the stands next to fans while clapping and cheering the Seagulls on.
It’s believed Bloom even offers Brighton players winning bonuses if they can defeat Brentford each season, such is his disdain for Benham. It turned out to be a disastrous day for the Seagulls chief after seeing his side go 3-1 down to Brentford in the second half, before Joao Pedro was sent off.
The row between them dates back to the early 2000s when Bloom hired Benham to work at his company Premier Bet – but their relationship took a turn and he was fired from the role in January 2004.
After being axed, Benham decided to start up his own betting organisation, Smartodds. He recruited Stuart Coles, who had also worked with Bloom in the 1990s.
Benham claims he was not sacked by Premier Bet and resigned in September 2003, while Bloom is alleged to have asked Benham to work his notice period until May the following year – before firing him in January.
The disagreement led to legal proceedings between them as Bloom took Benham to court, with a settlement later agreed. Benham privately acknowledged that he was the one to blame for their relationship being torn apart.
A former associate of Bloom has previously shed light on the feud between the two, claiming the issue was that Benham used a similar business model as Bloom when starting his new company.
He said: “Quite a few individuals just went off and became professional gamblers on their own, which Tony didn’t really have an issue with.
“The problem with Benham is he kind of used the same business model as Tony. Loyalty is very important to him and he’s incredibly generous. The only thing he asks for is that kind of loyalty in return.”
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