Surely Rio Ferdinand can spare 3 days pay and chip in?

I have played sunday / saturday league footballers for over 10 years, and their is a minority of players (say 5%) who turn up for a fight or to injure someone intentionally, there is no place in football for these people, who ruin the game for everyone else. Although I accept that this tackle may have been unfortunate, and unintentional, I feel that Hallows was correct to sue for loss of earnings. I think it should be a requirement for all clubs to insure against injuries, this cost could be passed on to the players by an extra £1 or so a week in subs.
On a different note, I reckon Hough End will be full of the clipboard brigade and ambulance chasers usually located around Piccadilly this Sunday !!!

Why didn't the club have Public Liability Insurance cover? - and how much have they paid out in legal fees to defend this claim?

Of course, David Aspinall, is sad Marcus Hallows took the action he did. And, it doesn't matter a damn whether or not it was a fair tackle. The fact is that a player was seriously injured during a match and lost earnings because of it. He is entitled to be compensated. If an Ashton player fell over in the mud and broke his leg he, too, would be entitled to compensation.

David Aspinall is the chairman of Ashton and it was his responsibilty to insure against this kind of thing. Furthermore, I consider Aspinall was grossly negligent in his duty of care to those playing for Ashton and against them. He should cough up instead of trying to blame the player who was injured.

Not sure why the victim has been villainised. Can never play again and by all accounts nearly died in the ambulance. He absolutely deserves to be compensated

Good victory.

I think Mr Aspinall has a nerve to complain because a player, whose career ended due to a bad tackle, should seek compensation!Who knows how this may also affect him physically in future years.A club of Aston Utd's standing should have group insurance cover in place, and if they have'nt then it iS down to the people who run the club.It's nothing new!We had it in the '80s.

The player should be ashamed of himself. He entered into a tackle, part of the game i believe. He came out second with an unfortunate injury..beggars belief that he sought compensation, typical of todays culture i suppose...blame everyone but yourself...accidents happen..

Surely Ashton United will have public liability Insurance to cover this

Dead right Devina. In fact all the City and United players could chuck in a grand apiece.It is only loose change to them!

People need to look beyond this one case - and think of the possible implications for ALL semi-pro football, for ALL amateur football, for ALL school football ... check out http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/aufcdanwhite/ - it's not a hate campaign against the plaintiff - have a long think - and imagine football with no "grass roots" - where will the players of tomorrow come from ??

Meldroo, Mrs Warboy's plaything. , Oldham
22/02/2010 at 16:39

Read before you comment!!! the ref. did not even give a free kick so how could it be a bad tackle?? This case stinks & could have open the door to many legal cases in sport.

Why is it the clubs fault??? surely its the player who tackled him? This blame and sue culture is getting worse by the day!

Again another problem with football in this country at certain levels. I played in Germany for a civillian clubs and everyone by the rules of the football authorities had to have liabilty and injury's insurance before they were allowed to compete in any form of league, friendlies included.
I got injured once and ended up in hospital for a few stitches, taken there by ambulance and got the bill sent to me, which I then took to the club and they settled it.
I agree with Blue Dibble on the compenstation side he new as everyone who plays does, that before he played football that there is always the possibility of injury and sometimes they are serious ones which could end with them never being able to play again, or even having problems with employment. Sometimes all who have ever played that game know that sometimes a tackle goes in and there is no intent on the player making the tackle but in the split second before you get the ball it is knicked of you and you hit the player, but that is an accidental challenge and you never meant ot hurt the other player but you did.
Also Agree with Chud1780 there are players in ALL levels of the game who are quite happy to go over the top just to injure another player, it is they that should be targeted for being sued, if it is proved they went in with the intention of hurting the other player.
Two examples are the Taylor tackle on Eduardo, not intent but Eduardo got his leg broken, Felaini of everton in the tackle with Kyryakos clearly goes in with the intent on his face to hurt the other player, gald he got hurt himself. On the same note Vierra gets suspended while Felaini gets away with it.

IF ASHTON IS A COMPANY, THEY SHOULD HAVE THE INSURANCE TO COVER ANY ACTION SURELY, I DONT TAKE EITHER SIDE, BUT IF THE INSURANCE HAS LAPSED, THEN ITS DOWN TO THE MAN IN CHARGE, HE HAS A DUTY TO HIS OWN TEAM/CLUB, SUPPORTERS, ANYBODY ON THE CLUBS LAND FOR THAT MATTER.

Brit,Canada
Just because the ref didn't give a free kick doesn't mean it wasn't a bad tackle! Look a the picture! David Aspinall says the ref was five yards away.Well,the ball is already two yards away, and he hasn't tackled him yet! Late tackle?? The ref got it wrong!

As Secretary of Ashton United, can I just clear a few points up? Re public liability insurance, the match was not played at our ground and does not cover this incident. In any case, public liability for football clubs excludes player to player incidents of this nature. The cost of insurance to cover player to player incidents is not affordable for clubs at our level of the pyramid. The UniBond League, of which we are currently members, has been trying, without success, to source such cover for all member clubs.
Our players do have personal accident insurance, which pays them a small weekly amount, should they be injured playing football and be unable to carry out their job. Players can take out personal injury insurance, but few at this level do so.
The comments re our chairman are inaccurate and, quite frankly, scandalous. David is conscientious and committed 100% to the club. The fact that he wasn't chairman at the time of this incident would seem to clear him of any blame?!
There is no disputing the serious nature of the injuries sustained by Mr Hallows and we wouldn't wish such a thing to happen to any player. However, injuries are a part and parcel of playing sport and are not always someone's fault. I was at the match and didn't see it as a malicious tackle. The match officials took that view and there was no negative reaction from Altrincham's players at the time. Altrincham FC did not support Mr Hallows' claim for compensation.
As other posters have noted, there are wider implications for football, especially at semi-professional level, should this verdict be upheld. I wouldn't rule out an avalanche of similar claims. Remember, this incident occurred five years ago! Whatever action may be taken to prevent similar claims in the future, if any, by the football authorities, there are thousands of potential claims out there from the past few years.
One final point, Ashton United are only liable because the player concerned was contracted the the club. Had he been, like many at this level, a non-contract player, then no claim could have been made against the club. Maybe this indicates a way forward for clubs at this level, especially now that transfer fees from larger clubs to semi-pro ones have all but become a athing of the past?