Albion had former skipper Steve Foster removed as the star guest from an event promoting tonight's Worth-ington Cup tie against Millwall.

They protested to the competition sponsors because of Foster's association with Stephen Purdew, the health club tycoon who launched a takeover bid for the club last year. They wanted current players to take part instead.

Foster was booked, via the Professional Footballers' Association, to appear at the Worthington Roadshow at Hove Lawns last Saturday.

The ex-England defender said: "At four o'clock on Friday Worthington rang to tell me Brighton didn't want me there. I rang Martin Perry (chief executive) at the club and he said it was because I have a friend called Stephen Purdew.

"I think it's an absolute disgrace. My whole career at Albion seems to have been disregarded. On Saturday I am walking up Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for the children's hospital. I asked Martin Perry if he had any objections to that.

"What right have they to tell me where I can go and when? It wasn't a club event. It was advertised all last week and I don't want people thinking I just didn't bother turning up. Brighton didn't allow me."

Albion sent along Danny Cullip, Lee Steele and Nathan Jones in place of Foster. Perry said: "We cannot support anybody who goes around promoting somebody trying to take over the club in a way that we do not find appropriate.

"At the same time we felt any promotion of the competition should be by current players, but we did say to Steve Foster we were quite happy for him to be there to support Albion."