Kieran Maguire issues ‘intriguing’ Liverpool claim as £500m lawsuit looms
An upcoming lawsuit will set an “intriguing” precedent in terms of how the likes of Liverpool handle their players’ performance data.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the intricacies of intellectual property in the ambit of data collection.
As relayed by the Daily Mail last Sunday (4 September), 1,400 footballers have banded together and are seeking £400-500million damages based on profits made by the gambling industry using their data.
The lawsuit, which is being spearheaded by experienced former EFL manager Russell Slade, is being backed by hundreds of Premier League stars.
The ultimate aim of the campaign is for footballers to take control of how their data is packaged and sold.
Liverpool are at the forefront of the data revolution and have one of the most advanced analytics departments in football.
Maguire fleshed out the significance of the case, which he thinks will rumble on for some time.
“The data tracking lawsuit is an intriguing one in respect of intellectual property,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“Do a player’s statistics belong to the player themselves? Or, do they belong to data tracking companies who can then sell them to the clubs directly or indirectly, as well as the betting companies?
“I think this will be a very interesting case. However, I also expect that it will be a very slow case to reach a resolution as we move forward.”
Liverpool begin their European campaign away to Napoli on Wednesday (7 September).
Jurgen Klopp’s side have made a stuttering start to 2022-23, taking nine points from their opening six league games.
In other news, ex-Fifa official claims Liverpool have profited from major injustice as controversial James Milner footage emerges.