FA doc ‘did not say sorry to family of tragic teen’

THE family of Radwan Hamed, the former Tottenham Hotspur academy player left severely brain damaged after mistakes were made by doctors, have reacted with dismay to the FA’s appointment of Charlotte Cowie as their new medical director.

Last year a High Court judge found former Spurs medical chief Dr Cowie to be among those liable for allowing Hamed to continue playing football after a scan showed his heart was ‘unequivocally abnormal’. The player, then 17, collapsed during his first game for the club in August 2006.

This week the FA appointed Cowie as head of performance medicine, with Dave Reddin — FA head of team strategy and performance — going to some lengths in an interview with Sportsmail to explain why she was the best candidate for the job.

Reddin said the FA went through a The story in yesterday’s Sportsmail rigorous recruitment process. But, in a statement issued to this newspaper yesterday on behalf of the Hamed family by solicitor Diane Rostron, they took particular issue with Reddin’s suggestion that Dr Cowie ‘still has a line of communication with them’.

Not only do the family insist this is not the case, but they say Dr Cowie still ‘has not apologised to Radwan’ in the 10 years since his collapse.

The statement said: ‘We have been made aware of the appointment by the Football Association of Dr Cowie.

‘We note that Mr Reddin supports and endorses the appointment of Dr Cowie and confirms that Dr Cowie has learned some hard lessons.

‘As a family we accept that mistakes can and do occur. It is essential that lessons are learned from mistakes, particularly when the mistakes have such catastrophic consequences as they have done for our family. Dr Cowie denied all responsibility for what happened to Radwan for more than nine years. She defended her actions in the High Court in February 2015. The judge, however, found her to be negligent.

‘ The judge apportioned liability between the club as Dr Cowie’s employers and the cardiologist Dr Mills. He found that the club/Dr Cowie was 70 per cent to blame. We have noted with disappointment that the club/Dr Cowie are continuing to appeal the apportionment of liability. We understand Dr Cowie’s insurers have given an indemnity to the club.

‘Dr Cowie has made no attempt to contact us in any way. Despite the judge finding that Dr Cowie was negligent and failed in her duty towards Radwan, Dr Cowie has not apologised to Radwan.

‘Screening, properly carried out, has recently identified the England cricketer James Taylor as having this potentially fatal condition.

‘Screening provides the opportunity for the individual athlete to avoid death or catastrophic injury. Radwan was denied this opportunity.’

The value of the claim, in essence how much the Hamed family will receive in damages, is due to be decided in court in October. It is expected to run into millions.

Tottenham are vicariously liable for the actions of their doctors, but it was agreed during the case that the club would be indemnified by the doctors’ insurers in respect of any damages.

Technically, Spurs and their doctors are still appealing against the judge’s verdict that found them 70 per cent liable. But it is understood Tottenham have not instructed any solicitors to act on their behalf in the appeal.

At the time of the trial, Tottenham said in a statement: ‘The club wholeheartedly regret that a former employee, as adjudged, was remiss in their duties to Radwan. This judgement will hopefully secure the best care for him. The club has been supportive of Radwan and his family over the past 10 years and we wish them well for the future.’

Yesterday the FA declined to comment.