A former Tottenham Hotspur player, who was left severely brain-damaged after he suffered a heart attack during a game, was on Tuesday awarded damages of around £7million.
Despite scans showing that his heart was ‘unequivocally abnormal’, Radwan Hamed was allowed to continue playing football by Spurs medical staff including Dr Charlotte Cowie — who is now the FA’s medical director and will sit on the bench for England’s World Cup qualifier against Malta at Wembley on Saturday.
Tottenham-mad youngster Hamed, then aged 17, collapsed six minutes into his first match as a professional for the Spurs youth team in Bruges in August 2006.
It took ambulance crews with a defibrillator 16 minutes to arrive at the scene and gifted striker Radwan, whose brain was starved of oxygen, was left with catastrophic injuries which left him unable to walk, talk or see.
London’s High Court had ruled previously that Spurs were 70 per cent responsible for Radwan’s plight, with Dr Peter Mills — the FA cardiologist who ordered the original scan — 30 per cent liable.
At the High Court on Tuesday, a 10-year legal battle ended with Radwan’s family receiving an undisclosed sum, believed to be in the region of £7m.
Radwan Hamed collapsed during a youth game for Spurs in Belgium in 2006 and has now won £7m in damages after the club were found to have breached its duties to him
Radwan Hamed (pictured second right) with his father Raymond (second left), mother Christabel (right) and sisters Nadine (left) and Farida
Hamed (pictured recently) was a gifted striker in the Premier League club's academy
Hamed's parents Raymond (left) and Christabel (centre) outside court on Tuesday with lawyer Diane Rostron after the family were awarded damages following their son's injuries
The phone call came from Belgium, where their son was playing his first match after signing a professional contract at his beloved Tottenham.
The message delivered to gifted striker Radwan Hamed’s proud parents, Raymond and Christabel, was ambiguous. Their boy had been injured and they needed to come and join him right away.
It was only when they arrived to find 17-year-old Radwan fighting for his life in a hospital bed that they realised this was no broken leg or season-ending knee injury.
The misinformation was a taste of things to come. For 10 years, Raymond, a property maintenance contractor, and Christabel, a PA at a local council, would fight a gruelling legal battle against the club they support.
It was a painful decade which could have left them bankrupt and homeless as their brave son fought to recover from the catastrophic brain injuries he had suffered.
Spurs denied any responsibility but Radwan should never have been playing for Tottenham on that fateful day, August 4, 2006.
Before signing his professional contract, Radwan had been screened by cardiologist Dr Peter Mills. The scan showed his heart was ‘unequivocally abnormal’.
That information was passed to Dr Cowie, then Spurs medical chief and now FA medical director. However Radwan, a free-scoring forward tipped for great things, was allowed to continue playing. The consequences were disastrous.
Six minutes into the match for Tottenham’s youth team against Cercle Bruges, Radwan dropped to the turf having suffered a heart attack. Stunned bystanders frantically tried to resuscitate him but it took ambulance crews with a defibrillator 16 minutes to arrive.
The now 26-year-old has been left severely brain damaged after mistakes by club doctors, who were aware of the heart condition which was originally picked up by an FA specialist
Radwan would survive, but came close to dying twice and suffered serious brain damage.
The High Court on Tuesday found Spurs were 70 per cent liable and Dr Mills was 30 per cent liable. They ordered an undisclosed payout, thought to be £7m.
Speaking to Sportsmail after the decision, Raymond Hamed revealed that Tottenham had initially reached out to the family as Radwan lay seriously ill, making them an offer of £250,000.
Mr Hamed also disclosed that Tottenham, who fought long and hard against the family’s claim, had not responded to a request for a season ticket for their son and his carer.
The Hameds are still waiting for an apology from Dr Cowie, controversially appointed by the FA earlier this year. ‘Sometimes I feel terrible towards Spurs,’ Mr Hamed said. ‘I look at them and think, “Why all this?”’
Dr Charlotte Cowie was a member of the Spurs medical team found to have been negligent
Sportsmail broke the story earlier that Cowie had been appointed as the FA's medical director
Mr Hamed, a Christian who says he has forgiven the club, added: ‘When Rad was very sick in hospital, they wanted to take advantage of our faith. They came to see us and said, “He could be up and about tomorrow, you never know”, and offered to pay up his contract.
‘They wanted to buy their way out of it with £250,000. They knew money was tight for us. It left a bad taste.’ Mr Hamed also believes Dr Cowie is yet to accept she made a tragic error. ‘In life you make mistakes,’ he said. ‘It’s whether you learn from them. Until you accept you made a mistake, you cannot correct it.
‘There are a lot of young guys and women in her hands. Doctors are not there to hurt people. When you make a mistake you admit it. We’ve had no written apology.’
Tottenham deny that the £250,000 was a settlement and claim it was an offer to underwrite medical costs until the matter went to insurers. The club also say none of the medical staff involved in the case are still at the club, and they are happy to accommodate Radwan and a carer at future games.
Spurs will not be hit financially by Tuesday’s ruling as they are covered by insurance. An FA spokesman for Dr Cowie, who has appealed against the apportioning of the blame, said: ‘We cannot comment on this case as it is still ongoing.’
Radwan, described by a member of Spurs staff as a ‘manager’s dream’, has stunned doctors with his commitment. Following his collapse, he was left unable to walk, talk or see.
Gruelling sessions with specialists have given him some mobility, although he cannot leave the house unassisted. He has no short-term memory, severely limited vision and will never work again.
His speech is very poor and some of the £7m will be used to keep on language specialists.
Hamed was a striker at Tottenham and was thought to have a promising future in the game
‘But he is still Spurs,’ said Mr Hamed. ‘When Arsenal scored that handball winner against Burnley on Sunday, he was furious, just as he was delighted when Spurs beat Manchester City earlier.
‘There are things he realises he can never do. He had a car from 16 but he will never drive again, he can’t work, he can’t go for coffee. There are still possibilities because of our faith. There’s no point living without hope. He’s 28, he has dreams, he has hope.’
Diane Rostron, from Addies Solicitors, led the family’s fight for eight years. She said: ‘Radwan’s parents had already approached two firms of solicitors to help them secure justice for their son and were advised the case was just too difficult to pursue with both the club and the cardiologist robustly defending this claim.
‘It has been a privilege to represent Radwan and his family. No amount of money can compensate Radwan for all that he has lost but today’s settlement will ensure his safety and provide his parents with peace of mind for his future.’
The family are now keen to make sure nobody else suffers Radwan’s fate. They want defibrillators at all sports grounds.
On the High Court steps, Mr Hamed, whose family have shown dignity throughout, said: ‘The settlement will be used to care for and support Radwan for the rest of his life. We remain heartbroken for all our beautiful son has lost.’
STATEMENT ISSUED ON BEHALF OF THE HAMED FAMILY
Outside the High Court, Diane Rostron, a specialist medical solicitor for Addies Solicitors, issued the following statement on behalf of Radwan Hamed and his family.
'10 years ago, our son, Radwan then aged just 17, suffered a cardiac arrest whilst playing football for Tottenham Hotspur. Our athletic, enthusiastic, ambitious, beautiful son was no longer able to walk or talk. He was blind – he had no idea who we were. The doctors advised that recovery was highly unlikely, if not impossible.
'Our shock, devastation and despair has never left us and never will. Tottenham’s doctor, Charlotte Cowie, knew that Radwan might have a potentially fatal cardiac condition. That vital information was never shared with us or Radwan.
'Just as Radwan had no choice but to start his difficult journey towards recovery, we had no choice but to start the difficult journey to obtain justice.
'We risked losing our home and faced personal financial ruin in order to pursue justice for our son. In February 2015, after nine long difficult years, the High Court found the Club, its doctors and Dr Mills negligent.
'Whilst today's settlement ends our painful crusade for justice for our son, it does not end his fight for recovery. That will never end.
'He cannot live the life of a fit, young, independent man – that is his personal tragedy that can never be undone. The compensation awarded will provide for the care and support he needs for the rest of his life.
'We were, and are, disappointed that Tottenham let our son down so badly and denied any wrongdoing for so very long. We are grateful beyond words for the recovery our son has made and continues to make.
'We wish to thank our beautiful daughters and family for their love and support over the last decade. We are grateful to the British justice system and our experts and legal team.
'Finally, we hope that steps will be taken to ensure that our tragedy is not repeated and inflicted upon another family.'
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