Mel Morris accuses Middlesbrough owner Steve Gibson of 'hypocrisy'

Mel Morris has accused Middlesbrough owner Steve Gibson of “hypocrisy” after Derby’s Championship rivals announced their plans to sue them over alleged financial breaches.

As revealed by The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, Gibson has vowed to take legal action against Derby as he claims they have broken the Football League’s profitability and sustainability rules.

Gibson has been at war with Derby for months and is furious that Morris was allowed to secure a £14.6m profit in the club’s accounts after selling the Pride Park stadium and then leasing it back. He believes Morris has bypassed the rules by unfair means.

Derby were notified on Friday that Boro plan to sue them, days before their Championship play-off final against Aston Villa.

But Morris has hit back and insisted Derby are fully compliant, branding Gibson’s accusations as “bitching”.

Speaking for the first time in detail, Morris said: “I consider the timing of their action to be cynical, an open attempt to try and steal our focus ahead of a crucial game. Fortunately, we are motivated by such actions. I’ll call it out there because I think it needs calling out.

“The sale of fixed assets is allowed in the rules. In 2016 a club [Boro] got promoted who chose to sell the tax loss from the football club to the parent company, because that then makes it revenue which is a positive towards profit, to help remain within Financial Fair Play.

“When I raised that at a meeting in March, the representative from the club said it was allowed in the rules at that time. So is this! What is different? You set the mould and we copied your lead, now you’re bitching. He [Gibson] had the hypocrisy to do that.

“Even his own fans called it out on their forums and said ‘how dare we do this with our own history’. We discussed this issue again in April and there wasn’t a single vote against, including from their own club! They didn’t even vote for their own motion. It is absolutely hypocritical. I didn’t write the rules.

“They had the gall to say to us this is not right. Absolutely unbelievable. Those things to me are just insane."