Darragh MacAnthony has denied claims by Forest Green Rovers owner Dale Vince that Peterborough United made an illegal approach for manager Robbie Savage.

Vince told BBC Radio Gloucestershire that he initially refused Peterborough permission to speak to Savage.

He said he was forced to agree to the move after the League One side approached his former manager directly before appointing him on 2 October.

“He’s [Savage] a friend and it was very hard to say no, so I said ‘fine, go and talk to them’,” said Vince.

“Peterborough themselves have covered themselves in no glory here. They came to us and said ‘we would like to speak to your manager’.

“We said no and so they spoke to him and then he came to us and said ‘I hear Peterborough want to speak to me’. So, that’s an illegal approach.”

However, Posh chairman MacAnthony, writing on X, said the process to appoint a new manager was “100% correct and proper, following all the rules”.

Late last month, National League side Forest Green announced that Savage, 51, had been given permission to speak to another club, before confirming he had been offered the Peterborough job, following the departure of Luke Williams.

“In the negotiations, Peterborough paid no respect to Robbie’s position,” said Vince.

“He was stuck in the middle. He went there on the Monday, they offered him the job verbally and then they denied offering him the job.

“Then they said they were going to move on to their second choice, leaving him in a real pickle, and we had no choice but to say ‘look, just take him, that’s the best thing for him’.”

Vince added: “Robbie is a friend and told us he had an intense personal need to leave. It was impossible to have a proper negotiation.

“In the end, we said ‘look, just take him on your terms’. We cared more about Robbie than the outcome.

“Football is not a bad place, but there’s people in it that give it a bad name. Enough said.”

In response, MacAnthony added: “I have been an owner for 20 years in the EFL and have respect for the process.

“Good luck to Forest Green in appointing a new manager.”

Forest Green have not confirmed if they have contacted the Football Association about the matter.

Following Saturday’s 3-1 win at Leicester City, Peterborough host Burton Albion this weekend in Savage’s first home league game in charge.