Forest Green take legal action against Peterborough over Robbie Savage

Forest Green Rovers have started legal action against Peterborough United over how the League One club approached Robbie Savage, the former Forest Green manager. Forest Green owner Dale Vince made the announcement.

Vince said the club had "begun a legal process for the tapping up" of Savage. Tapping up is football's term for approaching a player or manager who is still under contract with another club, without that club's permission.

Savage joined Forest Green in July 2025 after managing Macclesfield. He left on 2 October to join Peterborough, who play in League One, the third tier of English football.

According to BBC Sport, Vince says he first refused Peterborough permission to speak to Savage. He claims Peterborough then spoke to Savage directly anyway. Peterborough have previously denied making an illegal approach.

Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony has pushed back hard. He said the process to appoint Savage was "100% correct and proper, following all the rules." Earlier this month, in a report from BBC Sport, MacAnthony denied Vince's claims of an illegal approach.

Peterborough have not commented on the legal action. They offered no comment to BBC Sport when asked.

On the pitch, Savage's record at his new club is mixed. Since joining Peterborough, he has won two, drawn two and lost two in all competitions, which means league and cup games combined.

For supporters of both clubs, the row has moved away from the pitch and into the courts. Vince's account and MacAnthony's account are now the two sides of the story, and neither has been tested in a legal setting yet.