Newcastle United may sue Wigan Athletic for Callum McManaman's horror tackle on Massadio Haïdara
Newcastle United are considering legal action against Wigan Athletic and their midfielder Callum McManaman following his wild tackle on Massimo Haidara as he could yet escape retrospective punishment from the Football Association.
Although Wigan have thrown a protective shield in front of their young star, with chairman Dave Whelan insisting he won the ball as “clear as a whistle”, Newcastle believe they have a strong case if they pursue compensation.
Newcastle will be frustrated if the FA refuses to take the matter any further, although the game’s governing body is yet to make a final decision. The main complication is that, while referee Mark Halsey’s view was obstructed by Newcastle’s Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, linesman Matthew Wilkes saw the challenge clearly and did not deem it a serious offence.
The FA has always maintained it will not “re-referee” games as it would undermine the authority of matchday officials.
Newcastle are also furious with Whelan’s comments on Monday, which came 24 hours after Wigan’s manager, Roberto Martínez’s post-match claim the Wigan Academy graduate had no intention to hurt Haidara.
“The ball was there and McManaman went in for the ball and got the ball, as clear as a whistle, then followed through and they collided,” Whelan said on BBC Five Live. “He hasn’t gone over the ball. That’s an accident.”
Whelan, who had his career in the top flight ruined when he broke his leg playing for Blackburn Rovers in the 1960 FA Cup final, refused to back track in a later interview with Sky Sports. “I would be saying: ‘Football is a tough game.’ I do not think there was any intent from our lad to hurt the Newcastle player. I spoke to [Newcastle managing director] Derek Llambias after the match and, I have to say, the Newcastle people who we dined with took it all on the chin and thought: ‘Yeah it is part and parcel of the game.’
“I know there were some bad things said on the line. But the referee took charge of that and dispatched two of them. So, hopefully, the lad [Haidara] can start playing again next Saturday. Hopefully he will be okay and not be too seriously injured. But you are going to get injured if you play football professionally. It is a tough game.”
Wigan are keen to put the incident down to the over-enthusiasm of a young player making his first Premier League start, but Newcastle, having reviewed television footage, are unimpressed by the defence or the tone in which it has been made.
Haidara was in floods of tears in the dressing room following the tackle which caught the 20-year-old, who only arrived in England from Nancy in January, on the side of his knee. Replays show McManaman also follows through with his trailing leg into the French player’s shin.
The incident has created a lot of bad feeling in the Newcastle camp and Haidara is not in the right frame of mind to listen to an apology at this stage. His Newcastle team-mate, Ryan Taylor, said on Twitter the tackle was known in the game as a “s---house”. To make matters worse for the Magpies, Wigan went on to secure a 2-1 victory that gives them fresh impetus in their bid to avoid relegation, their winner coming in the last minute when Halsey also failed to spot a handball in the build-up.
The damage to Haidara’s leg is so severe that he cannot straighten it and swelling around the knee means an initial scan has not yet determined the full extent of the injury. Telegraph Sport understands that there are no bones broken, but it is thought there is extensive ligament damage which is likely to sideline the left-back for several months.
Newcastle have been on the *receiving end of similar legal action, paying Everton striker Victor *Anichebe a six-figure sum in an out of court settlement after he was seriously injured by a two-footed tackle from former Magpie captain Kevin Nolan back in February 2009.
Condemnation of McManaman’s challenge has been most concerted from former professionals, with many arguing it was bad enough to end Haidara’s career.
The FA can take retrospective action in “extreme cases” but it is unclear whether it is willing to put a reckless tackle seen by one of the officials at the time into this category. There has been a recent precedent set when the FA refused to ban Mario Balotelli’s for a similarly vicious tackle on Arsenal Alex Song last April when it had been seen by the referee and gone unpunished.
