Aston Villa Football Club manager Martin O’Neill has started a legal battle for libel damages in a row over a football website.
O’Neill has struck out against publishers 365 Media Group plc and is demanding damages of up to £50,000 over its ‘Transfer Gossip’webpage.
He claims that a story headed ‘O’Neill locks to feeder club for keeper’dated 13 April was defamatory. He is seeking damages and an injunction banning the Middlesex based web publisher from repeating the allegations at the centre of his claim.
In 2004 O’Neill accepted a public apology and undisclosed but “substantial” libel damages from the Daily Record over claims that he was about to quit his then post as manager of Celtic for Liverpool Football Club.
365 Media Group Plc is owned by BSkyB and runs websites such as Football365 and Golf365.
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