Cricket Australia's chief executive James Sutherland says the public airing of Mickey Arthur's compensation claim is more an "unfortunate distraction" than an embarrassment.
After being sacked as Australian coach on the eve of the Ashes series with two years to run on his contract, Arthur is now seeking up to $4 million from Cricket Australia and has filed proceedings through the Fair Work Commission of Sydney.
Central to his claims are allegations of racial discrimination and details about an alleged toxic relationship between the captain Michael Clarke and Shane Watson, Arthur claiming that Clarke had told him Watson was a "cancer" on the team.
The chief executive was in England following Australia's disappointing exit from the Champions Trophy, when the decision was made to terminate Arthur's contract.
