Ex-Liverpool Defender Daniel Cleary Sues Former Teammate Over Injurious Tackle
Ex-Liverpool Defender Daniel Cleary Sues Former Teammate Over Injurious Tackle
Former Liverpool defender Daniel Cleary is taking legal action against his ex-teammate Tom Brewitt over a training ground tackle that Brewitt admitted was intended to put Cleary “out of the way.” The incident dates back to their time in the Liverpool academy, where both players were vying for a chance to break into the first team under manager Jurgen Klopp in 2015.
During an appearance on the Football Journeys podcast in 2020, Brewitt revealed that he deliberately attempted to injure Cleary during a training session, leaving the Irish player on crutches. Brewitt aimed to remove Cleary from contention for a spot in Klopp’s squad for an upcoming FA Cup match against Exeter, as the team faced a shortage of available defenders due to injuries to key players like Dejan Lovren, Kolo Toure, Mamadou Sakho, and Martin Skrtel.
Despite Brewitt’s actions, neither he nor Cleary featured in the match, with Joe Maguire being called up instead. Now, four years later, Cleary is seeking over £200,000 in damages from both Liverpool and Brewitt, arguing that the tackle had a detrimental impact on his career.
In his defense, Brewitt’s lawyer contended that the statements made on the podcast do not constitute an admission that Brewitt deliberately intended to cause serious harm to Cleary.
According to the Echo’s Richard Gittins, both Liverpool and Brewitt deny any liability. The club maintains that their players are instructed to play by the rules, and Pippa Manby, representing Liverpool, argued that the tackle was not considered particularly serious or intentional by those overseeing the training session.
Liverpool further argued that Cleary was not viewed as having first-team potential at the time, with Joe Maguire and Tiago Ilori being preferred options. Brewitt’s defense claimed the contact was accidental, resulting from his foot rolling over the ball and making contact with Cleary’s leg.
A full trial is set to take place at a later date, where Brewitt’s podcast comments will be examined in detail. On the podcast, Brewitt, now 27, admitted, “I knew it was a bad tackle and I did it on purpose. It was me or him, so I went after him in training.”
He described how he targeted Cleary in possession games and matches leading up to the FA Cup tie, intending to hurt him just enough to ensure Cleary would be unavailable for selection.
Following the incident, Cleary left Liverpool for Birmingham City in 2016 and has since played for Dundalk, St Johnstone, and currently Shamrock Rovers. Brewitt, who never made a first-team appearance for Liverpool, departed for Middlesbrough in 2017.
He now plays for Swindon Town in League Two after stints with AFC Fylde, Morecambe, and American clubs Tacoma Defiance and Hartford Athletic.
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