Martin Coyne, Managing Partner
Martin Coyne, Managing Partner at Ralli, comments on the Rooney head injury.
Craig Johnston is absolutely on the money when he says that football boot manufacturers, and possibly football clubs, are at risk of a lawsuit if serious injury is caused by sharp studs on boots. Rooney’s injury is horrific, and could so easily have been more serious if his eyes had been affected. Considering the weekly income that players like Rooney, Bale, Ronaldo and others achieve, a serious eye injury caused by sharp studs, which curtails a player’s career, could result in a product liability claim for tens of millions of pounds.
It is astonishing that players are presently at risk, due to allegedly faulty design of the studs. The FA and FIFA must step in and issue strong guidelines to manufacturers on what is, and what is not acceptable on the field. A stud which sharpens when in contact with a hard surface (say for example when walking towards the grass pitch from the dressing room) is reasonably foreseeable, and puts a high duty of care on the manufacturer, to ensure that player safety is not compromised.
It is highly likely that Rooney will be scarred for life, and it remains to be seen whether he feels that his injury merits a claim.
Rooney’s head injury, read more
