Jury fail to reach verdict in libel case against Lineker

The jury in Liverpool footballer Harry Kewell’s libel action against TV pundit Gary Lineker has been discharged after failing to reach a verdict.

The Australian-born footballer had launched the libel action against the ‘Match of the Day’ presenter, as well as ‘Sunday Telegraph’ sports editor Jon Ryan and Telegraph Group Ltd, following what he described as a “hurtful and humiliating attack” by Mr Lineker in a newspaper column.

The article, published in July 2003, focused on Mr Kewell’s £5 million transfer from Leeds to Liverpool. Two million pounds of that fee went to Max Sport, the company ran by the footballer’s manager, Bernie Mandic, as payment for work carried out for Leeds football club in Australia.

Mr Kewell had claimed that Mr Lineker’s article had been defamatory, however, the defence countered that it was ‘fair comment’, claiming that the article was aimed, not at Mr Kewell, but at the transfer system itself and the agents, such as Mr Mandic, who were involved in the deals.

The jury had begun deliberations yesterday, but failed to reach a majority decision on the question of whether or not Mr Kewell had been defamed by the article.

Speaking at the High Court today, Mr Justice Eady said: “The only step I can take is to discharge you from giving a verdict in this case.”

Mr Kewell, who is receiving medical treatment for an injury in Portugal, was not present at court today. He will now have to decide whether he wants the case to go to a retrial.

Speaking outside court, Mr Lineker told reporters: “It looks like a replay. I can’t say anything else because I don’t know what is going to happen.”

(KMcA/SP)