A sports lawyer has highlighted the three ways in which Galatasaray could take legal action following Noa Lang’s horror injury against Liverpool at Anfield. During Liverpool’s 4-0 win over the Turkish club in the Champions League last-16 on Wednesday, Lang suffered a severed thumb.
The Dutch winger, 26, was racing toward the touchline when he lost his footing and collided with the metal-edged advertising hoardings situation around the side of the pitch. His right hand became trapped in the structure during his fall, as players and fans were left stunned by the gruesome nature of his injury.
Play was halted and paramedics administered oxygen before carrying Lang away on a stretcher, with his hand heavily bandaged. Galatasaray threatened to file a lawsuit with UEFA, having already lodged a complaint, while considering a legal case for compensation.
Carl Davies, personal injury specialist solicitor and partner at Aequitas Legal Solicitors, an Association of Personal Injury Lawyers accredited firm, exclusively told The ECHO: "While the incident may be characterised as unusual, collisions with advertising boards are a normal and foreseeable part of elite football.
"Lang appears to have trapped his thumb between the advertising board and its steel support frame. If the boards have not been properly secured, or if the metal frames were poorly maintained, affecting his ability to play in future games, then there may be an argument that the club was negligent, meaning there may be an opportunity for a claim by Lang and / or the club.
"In my experience, courts expect straightforward, low‑cost safety issues to be remedied, particularly in stadiums hosting top‑level football where the standard of maintenance should be exemplary."
Mr Davies went on to explain that, if proceedings are pursued, Galatasaray’s lawyers might explore claims against several parties beyond UEFA itself.
They include the stadium operator (under English law, the primary responsibility for ensuring safety at a sports ground lies with the ground management - usually the owner or lessee), the manufacturer of the advertisement board and the contractor who installed the equipment.
However, there is currently no evidence to suggest that there was any wrongdoing.
Speaking on what could come next following the Lang incident, Mr Davies said: "Whether any legal action by Lang in his own right, or through Galatasaray, is successful remains to be seen.
"What is clear, however, is that the risk of injury to players is known and recognised, and Liverpool will be keen to show that they have followed and complied with all relevant legislation, guidelines and safety guidance."
He added that pitch‑side safety is a noted and longstanding concern, with several previous incidents underlying the risks. Bath City’s Alex Fletcher in 2022 suffered a life‑threatening brain injury after colliding with a concrete wall at Twerton Park during a National League South match.
There was no high-profile lawsuit against the club but it triggered a huge health and safety investigation, leading to the PFA lobbying the government and the FA for clearer regulations over the "minimum distance" between touchlines and concrete barriers.
Billy Vigar of Chichester City tragically died in an incident in 2025 after colliding with a concrete wall at Wingate & Finchley’s ground. It triggered an active Metropolitan Police investigation and a coroner’s inquest into whether gross neglect regarding pitch-side concrete barriers constitutes a criminal or civil breach of duty.
Finally, Robin van Persie, while playing for Manchester United, collided with a pitch-side TV camera at Old Trafford in 2013 but avoided a major injury. There was no formal legal action taken.
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