SPORT IN COURT...
CHRIS DUNLAVY looks at some famous occasions when the playing fields spilled over into the courts
COME on then, let’s all laugh at West Ham. Besides throwing a paddy and bursting into tears, could anything have been more embarrassing than their threats to take the FA to court?
The unhappy Hammers were angry that Andy Carroll – a retiring sort of chap known to enjoy watching Countdown and doing crosswords – was sent off for a swing at Swansea’s Chico Flores.
West ham claim Flores dived, which he undoubtedly did. But does that make any real difference?
Carroll clearly swung an arm at the Spaniard.Yes, he only brushed his ponytail but a few inches lower and it could easily have smashed his teeth. The intent was there.
But that didn’t stop Hammers chairman David Gold threatening to sue the FA, an act more desperate that pulling the last girl in a nightclub.
Thankfully, they now seem to have calmed down and had a word with themselves, with Carroll accepting the three-game ban. But it isn’t always so amicable – here are ten cases that did make it all the way to court…
Sheffield Utd v West Ham
In August 2006, Argentinian duo Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, fresh from the World Cup and boasting a combined value of £40m, pitched up at Upton Park. It seemed too good to be true and, unsurprisingly, it was.
As it transpired, the pair were not owned by West Ham but by an investment company called MSI, a model banned under Premier League rules. Neither should have been on the pitch, yet there was Tevez, scoring the last-minute goal against Man United that kept West Ham in the Premier League at Sheffield United’s expense.
That was because the Premier League, despite fining the Hammers £5m, decided not to deduct points for the games in which the pair had played and even allowed them to participate in the final three matches of the season.
The Blades were understandably outraged and claimed £45m in compensation for lost earnings. An FA panel ruled that Tevez had indeed had a “decisive effect” on United’s fate and West Ham eventually settled out of court for £26.5m – the final instalment of which was paid last year.
Sam Allardyce v Steve Kean
ALLARDYCE is no stranger to a legal battle. In 2011, during a pre-season tour of Hong Kong, Blackburn boss Steve Kean was filmed in a Hong Kong bar blasting his Ewood Park predecessor and drunkenly claiming Big Sam was sacked for being “a f***ing crook”. When the video appeared on YouTube, Allardyce threatened to sue prompting a hasty apology from Kean and an out-ofcourt settlement for “substantial damages”.
Casey Martin v USPGA
GOLF’S starchy rulers are hardly known for their laissez-faire attitude, but even they would waive the rules to help a disabled guy, right?
Wrong. Casey Martin, who was born with a defect in his right leg that prevents him from walking properly, had asked to use a golf buggy during PGA tour events in 2001.
The PGA refused, saying that walking between holes was an integral aspect of the sport. Unsurprisingly, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in Martin’s favour and he was motoring.
Jean. Marc Bosman v Standard Liege/UEFA
So famous, he now has a manager’s grumble named after him. A Belgian midfielder, Bosman’s contract with Liege had expired in 1990 and he wanted to move to Dunkerque. However, the
French side refused to meet Liege’s valuation, so Bosman – on reduced wages due to not being in the first team – was stuck.
Eventually, he took his case to the European Court of Justice, who ruled that FIFA’s transfer rules represented a restriction on the free movement of workers within the EU. All players were thus granted a free transfer at the end of their contract and the ‘Bosman’ was born.
There is, however, a tragic postscript. While Bosman’s actions would ultimately make thousands of players into millionaires, the 49-yearold fell into poverty and alcoholism and in April 2013 was sentenced to a year in prison for assaulting his girlfriend.
Ex. players v NFL
OTHERWISE known as the ‘Concussion Crisis’. For many years, it was standard practice for the NFL to allow concussed players back onto the field, despite studies showing that doing so increased the risk of long-term brain injuries.
Even when a study showed that former NFL players were 19 times more likely than the average man to develop Alzheimer’s or similar diseases, the suits stuck their heads in the sand.
But then, in April 2011, seven players – including dementia sufferer Ray Easterling – sued the NFL over their handling of concussion-related injuries. “The big issue for us,” said his attorney, “is they were told for decades to lead with their heads.Yet the NFL would never admit that there’s any correlation.” The trickle soon became a flood and by the middle of last year, some 4,500 former players were filing cases against the NFL. Eventually, with costs spiralling and their public image going south, the NFL
agreed to pay out a whopping $750m. That, though, was not the end of matters.
While the players accepted the offer, a judge did not, ruling that it would not be sufficient to cover all possible future claimants. The case is still rumbling on, with estimates suggesting a final bill of way over the $1b mark. Rugby beware.
David Moyes v Wayne Rooney
NOW best of mates at Man United, Moyes once sued young Shrek for claims made in his 2008 biography.
In the Hunter Davies penned tome, Rooney says he informed Moyes that he wanted to
leave Everton after it emerged he had visited prostitutes, and that Moyes then passed details of the conversation to the Liverpool Echo, thus betraying his confidence and effectively forcing his £27m move to United.
A furious Moyes took Rooney, Davies and publisher Harper Collins to court for libel, winning upwards of £150,000 in damages.
According to Moyes’ lawyer, the claims “injured his professional and personal reputation and caused serious embarrassment and distress.”
In that case, he might want to sue Man United too.
Terri Flasch v Jimmy Connors
CONNORS was no stranger to litigation, at one time suing pretty much every professional body and union in the sport.
But by far the strangest case he ever faced was brought by Terri Flasch, the founder of the Jimmy Connors fanclub.
Flasch started the club in 1979 when she was just 14, the result of a childhood crush on the two-time Wimbledon champ, and within five years had attracted more than 5,000 members.
Keen for a piece of the deal, Connors management team – including brother John – attempted to take control, writing Flasch a letter ordering her to cease operations.
Instead, the 19-year-old sued them for $575,000 claiming damage to her credibility and reputation, eventually settling out of court.
Raiderettes v Oakland Raiders
JUST last month, a team of cheerleaders became so enraged by their paltry pay packets that they sued their own team.
Filing a claim for “wage theft and unfair employmeny practices”, the Raiderettes said they were being paid just $5 an hour – or $1,250 a year – yet are expected to turn out for approximately 300 events, pay for their own make-up and are fined if they forget to bring the right coloured pom poms to practice.
“I love the Raiders and I love being a Raiderette,” said cheerleader Lacy T.“But someone has to stand up for all of the women of the NFL who work so hard for the fans and the teams.”
Paul Elliott v Dean Saunders
INJURED by a knee-high challenge from Saunders while playing for Chelsea in 1992, Elliott – the Blues reigning player of the year – suffered serious ligament damage and never
played again.
He sued Saunders for damages in a civil court case enlivened by a cameo from Vinnie Jones – wearing jeans and a t-shirt – and a bizarre statement from referee John Key in which the whistleblower, who had been struck from the FA list after failing to even caution Saunders, told the judge “I don’t make mistakes”. Elliott lost the case.
Mohamed Al Fayed v Jean Tigana
HOW chairmen across the country wish Al Fayed had won this one. Just months after sacking manager Jean Tigana, the Fulham chairman sued the Frenchman for, among other things, over-paying for players.
The player in question was Steve Marlet, the notorious £11m flop who scored 11 goals in four years and, until this year, remained the club’s record signing.
Claiming Tigana knew the player was worth just £7m and far less than the £30,000 a week he was paid, Al Fayed told the court, “I am not letting any crook get away with my money and destroy the club I love.”
Unsurprisingly, Al Fayed lost, which must have come as a huge relief to Kenny Dalglish, the man who spent £35m on Andy Carroll.