Former Liverpool and Champions League-winning footballer, Steve Finnan, has lost his High Court claim for compensation against his former lawyers, Charles Russell Speechlys LLP.
The Irishman had a successful football career between the years 1993 and 2010, playing for several high-profile clubs such as Liverpool, Fulham and Portsmouth.
The right-back’s most rewarding period came with the Reds as Finnan was part of Rafael Benitez’s team that won the Champions League in 2005 and the FA Cup in 2006.
Unlike many other footballers, Finnan went into property after his retirement, setting up a housing empire with his brother, Sean.
However, this proved disastrous as he lost £6million on the business venture with his brother and blamed his lawyers for the huge setback, with the conclusion of their trial announced this week.
Representing himself in court, the Irishman sued his former lawyers, Charles Russell Speechlys LLP, blaming their allegedly negligent advice for his losses, reports the Daily Mail.
This week Finnan’s case was kicked out by High Court judge, Master Katherine McQuail, who said that, whatever advice the former footballer was given, he had not shown how he could have come out of the dispute any better than he in fact did.
Master McQuail said the ‘first expression of the claimant’s concerns’ about the business had come in an email from Mr Finnan to the companies’ solicitor in 2016.
She said he complained that despite ‘significant funding from the claimant by way of loans, the companies appeared to have no money, at least in part because Sean had spent it personally.’
Finnan was forced to sell his Champions League medal and some old shirts to raise cash following the loss and the former footballer will hopefully get back to his feet as soon as possible.
