Charlton Consider Legal Action

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 02/03/2002

CHARLTON are considering taking legal action over the injury sustained to striker Martin Pringle whilst playing for Grimsby on Tuesday. Addicks' boss Alan Curbishley is also asking both the referee and the FA to look again at the tackle by Dave Challinor which smashed both bones in the Swede's leg.

The tackle by the former Tranmere defender was so bad that Stockport manager Carlton Palmer strongly criticised his player, and fined him two week's wages immediately after the game. Yet match referee Mark Clattenburg incredibly deemed that the horrendous tackle from behind only merited a yellow card at the time of the incident, something Curbishley wants him to re-examine.

Palmer decided to substitute the County defender shortly after the career-threatening tackle, and the Stockport player-boss, clearly upset by the challenge, was sent off for dissent later in the game. The match, which ended in a 3-1 victory to Grimsby, was overshadowed by the incident which notwithstanding the personal tragedy for Pringle, was a bitter blow for the Mariners, who had brought in the former Benfica front man on loan in a last throw of the dice to help avoid relegation.

"It was a challenge from behind that had no chance of getting the ball - this is the kind of tackle we have been trying to get rid of for some time." Curbishley (left) said, reported by Ananova, after watching the match video. "We will be asking the referee to have another look at it to see if he has any other views on it. It was a definite red.

"The referee can't stop it happening but he can administer a red card - and that is all he can do. We are considering it [legal action] and gathering as much evidence as we can. It's something the club feels strongly about.

"We are looking at all options, weighing up all the aspects and seeing where it leads us. I am very disappointed with the challenge, it's the sort of challenge that I thought had been outlawed."

The former Benfica striker (left) had just returned from over a year out with a leg injury, and had played just one and a half games on loan for the Mariners before Challinor struck. Now a question mark hangs over the remainder of the 31-year-old Swedish international's career, and Charlton are quite reasonably thinking about seeking damages from County for the actions of one of their players.

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