[lfc-news] Harry sues Gary for hurtful jibe - Echo

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Liverpool Echo, 8 June 2005
Harry sues Gary for hurtful jibe
By Jan Colley & Cathy Gordon, Liverpool Echo

FORMER England captain and Everton star Gary Lineker launched a "hurtful
and humiliating attack" on Liverpool's Harry Kewell over his Leeds
transfer, the High Court in London heard today.

The striker is suing top football pundit Lineker for libel after an
article in a Sunday newspaper headlined: "Kewell move made me feel
ashamed of the game".

Kewell, 26, and Lineker were today both in court for the start of a
seven-day action over the Sunday Telegraph article.

Kewell's counsel, Andrew Monson, told Mr Justice Eady and a jury that
Lineker, the newspaper's sports editor Jon Ryan and Telegraph Group Ltd
had accused Kewell of being a fool and implied he was a knave in that he
was guilty of dishonourable conduct.

The "hurtful and humiliating attack" came five days after Kewell's
transfer to Liverpool in July 2003, which grew out of Leeds United's
decision to sell star players to relieve their grave financial difficulties.

Despite approaches from Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona, Kewell
was set on moving to Liverpool, so his personal manager, Bernie Mandic,
began to negotiate terms with the Merseyside club.

Leeds wanted £7m but Liverpool offered £5m plus an additional £2.4m
loyalty bonus to Kewell, payable over three years - and out of the £5m
fee, £2m went to Mr Mandic's company, Max Sport.

Mr Monson said Leeds' then-chairman, Prof John McKenzie, complained
Liverpool went back on an agreement to pay £7m and suggested the £2m
difference disappeared into Mr Mandic's pocket or was split between him
and Kewell.

Mr Monson said Lineker's article libelled Kewell in three ways.

* Saying Kewell put his agent to approach Liverpool without Leeds'
consent, was disloyal and circumvented rules forbidding him from
entering into negotiations with the Reds before the final year of his
contract.

* That he naively and stupidly allowed Mr Mandic to manipulate him to
his financial detriment.

* That he discredited himself by willingly participating in a deeply
dishonourable and financially dubious transfer.

Mr Monson said Kewell was seeking substantial damages against the
defendants, who deny libel and plead fair comment.

"The allegations are serious and you will hear from him how much they
hurt and affected him and how, after due consideration, he decided he
could not let them pass and must try to get them withdrawn."

Australian-born Kewell told the jury from the witness box of how he was
"shocked and hurt" by Lineker's article.

Kewell, who is flying to Portugal tonight for further medical treat-ment
for a groin injury, said playing for Liverpool had been his boyhood dream.

Wearing a dark pin-striped suit, white shirt and tie, he gave details of
his career to date, starting from his signing with Leeds in 1995 when he
was 16.

He said the 2002/03 season at Leeds "started off great", but then
"players were getting sold right, left and centre".

In April 2003 he was in Australia and one of the reasons was to discuss
his future with another of his agents, Nick Mandic, brother of Bernie
Mandic.

Kewell told the jury: "It was to discuss the future with other clubs,
what was going to be the best thing for me to do because if Leeds wanted
to get rid of me, I had to look after my family.

"I needed to know what I was going to be doing for the next five years.

"We discussed clubs. There were a lot of clubs involved, but the main
club was Liverpool because it was my dream move to go there. They were
top of my list."

Kewell, who went to Liverpool for a total five-year financial package of
£13.5m, said it was his "boyhood dream" to play for Liverpool.

He had always supported and loved Liverpool since he was a little boy,
he said, and when he got the chance to play for the club, he "took it
with both hands".

Kewell said he regarded former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier "as one
of the best managers, and I still do".

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