Foul Tackle Means Compensation

An amateur footballer has secured compensation after he was seriously injured by a dangerous tackle. The hard tackle, which came from behind and to the side after he had passed the ball, caused two fractures to his left leg. The match was stopped while the teams waited for the ambulance to arrive.

 

The damages claim was brought on the basis that the tackle was illegal under the rules of football as it was both high and late. Unfortunately, it was difficult to obtain consistent accounts of events from the two teams. Not only did they give conflicting descriptions but also the referee did not see the tackle and failed to submit a match report.

 

The defendant, however, was unable to explain how the injury could have been so serious if the tackle had not been late and high as described by the claimant. As a result the claim for damages was successful.