Liverpool ‘Could Sue’ Arsenal Over Controversial Incident
The row involving Liverpool and Arsenal could escalate, with one referee weighing on the incident.
Liverpool could 'sue' rivals Arsenal over the controversy at the end of their 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium according to a former PGMOL chief.
The Reds held the Premier League leaders to a 0-0 draw on Thursday in a game where the main talking point was Conor Bradley's injury at the death.
Northern Ireland international Bradley picked up a nasty injury when trying to clear a ball down the right and lay in the turf in grimace.
Gabriel Martinelli, who had come on as a substitute in the game, assumed that Bradley was time-wasting and dropped the ball on top of him before pushing him off the pitch.
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Liverpool players were furious with Martinelli, who was shown a yellow card for his behaviour.
It was later revealed that Bradley had suffered a serious knee injury which required surgery and ruled him out for the rest of the season.
Though Martinelli issued an apology on social media and revealed that had exchanged messages with Bradley, the incident remained a point of discussion.
Keith Hackett, former Premier League referee and head of the PGMOL, suggested that Liverpool could take further action given there was not a "duty of care".
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“I’ve been involved recently in court cases, where one player takes another player to court on the basis that an injury has ruined their career," he told Football Insider.
“There is always that risk, and a club could always try to sue a player because they’ve lost their player. It’s a good point to raise because, in football as a whole, the players have a duty of care towards their opponents.
“Could the referee have got in earlier? What’s surprising is that some people didn’t realise how serious the injury was, because there wasn’t an overreaction.”
Gary Neville was on commentary for the game and did not like what he saw from Martinelli, branding him an "idiot" and claiming he was surprised Liverpool players didn't "whack" him.
In Sunday's 4-1 FA Cup win over Portsmouth, where Martinelli scored a hat-trick, the visiting fans chanted "Gary Neville is a w**ker" in response to the former Manchester United captain.
They also chanted, "Gabi, push him off" when Portsmouth's Makenzie Kirk suffered an injury in the second half.
Topics: Liverpool, Arsenal, Gabriel Martinelli
Josh Lawless