Legal Xtra
In association with Gregory Abrams Davidson LLP, The Essential Law Firm

It's all part of the game
By Christian Evans, Partner at Gregory Abrams Davidson LLP

With the impending finale of the premiership season, the Champion's League final and the European Championship this summer, no player wants to end up on the physio table or starting a long stretch on the touch line with injury.

Football is the world's most popular sport with over 240 million registered players worldwide and many millions who just play for fun. Surprisingly Footballers suffer more injuries than those involved in other sports like rugby or boxing, but what if the reason for that injury is due to a dangerous tackle, a careless piece of play or the referee's failure to deal with a reckless opponent. Is there a form of redress?

Firstly, don't let anyone tell you its all part of the game. It's not. All players have a legal duty to take care for the safety of opponents and referees owe a duty to all players over whom they officiate. The law that governs claims for football injuries is Negligence and is exactly the same as the law for other accidents. However the problem is that in a fast moving game like football, it is hard to tell the difference between a split-second mistake and something that is plainly careless, reckless or negligent.

When a sports case goes to court, the judge will normally ask himself "Should the offending player have realised that his actions involved a clear risk of causing serious injury".

Examples of players who are unlikely to succeed in a claim include:

Former goalkeeper Dave Beasant injured his foot after sticking it out to stop a jar of salad cream falling on the floor

Brazilian star Ramalho was bedbound for 3 days after swallowing a suppository intended to treat a dental infection

Former Arsenal goalkeeper Richard Wright was warming up in preparation for an FA Cup tie against Everton when he twisted an ankle after falling over a sign saying 'Do not practice in this area'

Swiss league midfielder Paulo Diogo scored a goal and jumped into the crowd, catching his wedding ring on a fence in the process- and tearing off the top half of his finger