Galatasaray threaten lawsuit: Turkish club sound alarm after star severed his thumb in freak advertising hoardings accident at Anfield – as he shares update from his hospital bed


Galatasaray are threatening legal action after their player Noa Lang suffered a freak thumb injury during their Champions League match at Anfield. 

Lang required surgery on his thumb after catching it between two parts of an advertising hoarding. He was given oxygen, carried back to the dressing room on a stretcher and rushed to hospital.

Now the Turkish giants are seeking compensation for his injury, which occurred during the latter stages of their 4-0 defeat on Wednesday.

‘We made a complaint to UEFA representatives after the match. They also made their investigations. UEFA will evaluate the issue,’ Galatasaray general secretary Eray Yazga said via HTSpor. 

‘We are in talks with lawyers. We will file a lawsuit for compensation to UEFA. We will ask for our victimization in terms of salary to be eliminated.’ 

Lang has candidly admitted ‘s*** happens’ after his successful surgery.

GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING 

Galatasaray threaten lawsuit: Turkish club sound alarm after star severed his thumb in freak advertising hoardings accident at Anfield – as he shares update from his hospital bed

Galatasaray are threatening legal action after their player Noa Lang severed his thumb in a freak accident involving the advertising hoardings at Anfield

There was genuine concern from the Liverpool players after Lang sustained the injury

There was genuine concern from the Liverpool players after Lang sustained the injury

The 26-year-old lost balance and put his hands on the advertising hoardings to steady himself in what seemed an innocuous moment late in the match. 

But it soon became clear that the Dutchman was in complete agony and the faces of pitch-side photographers revealed the horrifying extent of the damage. 

Lang caught his thumb between two parts of the advertising hoarding before they slammed shut. 

He immediately fell to the turf in pain, clutching the blood-soaked digit on his right hand. 

Players from both sides showed concern as the medical staff rushed on to treat him. 

On Thursday morning, the footballer shared an update after undergoing treatment in Liverpool. 

‘S*** happens,’ he wrote. ‘Surgery went well! Thanks for all the messages.’

Liverpool full-back and Lang’s Netherlands team-mate Jeremie Frimpong told Dutch media after the game: ‘When I went to check on Noa Lang, a few people told me that half of his finger had been torn off. He was in a lot of pain.’ 

In his post-match press conference, manager Okan Buruk said: ‘It is an important issue with his finger. 

‘We will know exactly what has happened when he is in hospital and, if he needs an immediate operation here, there will be a decision to make.’

After the game, which Liverpool dominated and won 4-0 to advance to the Champions League quarter-finals, staff were seen inspecting the area where the incident occurred. 

Lang was in agony and fell to the turf clutching his thumb late in the game at Anfield

Lang was in agony and fell to the turf clutching his thumb late in the game at Anfield 

Liverpool staff were seen inspecting the area where the incident occurred after the game

Liverpool staff were seen inspecting the area where the incident occurred after the game

It was not clear whether there was anything dangerous about the advertising hoarding itself or if it was simply an unfortunate accident. 

In the game itself, Liverpool delivered one of their most impressive displays of the season to comfortably overturn the first-leg deficit. 

Dominik Szoboszlai produced a Man of the Match display and scored the opener before winning a penalty that Mo Salah missed. 

Hugo Ekitike doubled the lead in the second half before Ryan Gravenberch added a third and Salah curled a trademark strike into the top left corner for number four. 

The Reds will meet PSG in the next round.  

Afterwards, Arne Slot reflected: ‘If you get to the late stages of the Champions League, you know one thing for sure is you are going to face PSG because they are an incredible team.

‘We had difficult games against them last season, here at Anfield it was a fantastic game [PSG knocked them out on penalties] the best game I have managed in my career, how football should be played, both teams just trying to entertain the fans.’

‘We were the only team that brought them to extra-time and penalties. But they have shown this season they have not dropped their standards. It was hardly possible for them to improve but they’ve been very impressive until now.

‘But we showed tonight we can perform at the levels we were at last season and that gives me confidence. I don’t think they will be that happy to play for us after seeing our performance tonight.’


Davis Cup | Nagal meets Den Ouden in opening rubber; Dhakshineswar plays de Jong


Davis Cup | Nagal meets Den Ouden in opening rubber; Dhakshineswar plays de Jong

The Dutch team of Arends, Pel, Houkes, Den Ouden, de Jong and captain Haarhuis with Indian skipper Rajpal, Nagal, Karan, Dhakshineswar, Yuki and Balaji at the draw ceremony on Friday.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR

The last two times the lush green Cubbon Park welcomed the Davis Cup, the draw ceremony was held at the majestic Vidhana Soudha, the iconic seat of the Karnataka State Legislature.

On Friday, when the draw for India’s Qualifiers 1st Round fixture against Netherlands was conducted, it was at a modest, but neat, make-shift structure within the S.M. Krishna Tennis Stadium complex.

It was perhaps the apt build-up for Saturday’s action. The Dutch are not known to be great admirers of flamboyance, for their society swears by the mantra Doe Normaal (just be normal). India too is stepping into the contest gingerly, waiting with bated breath to see how its frontline singles player Sumit Nagal holds up after three weeks of injury rehab.

At stake is a place in September’s Qualifers 2nd Round, the last stage before the season-ending, eight-team Davis Cup Finals. On paper, the visitors are better, even without World No. 29 Tallon Griekspoor and No. 67 Botic van de Zandschulp, both of whom are busy at the ATP Rotterdam 500.

Netherlands, Davis Cup runner-up in 2024, is sixth in the world while India is 33rd. The top-two Dutch singles players here, Jesper de Jong and Guy Den Ouden, are ranked 88 and 162 respectively, compared to Nagal’s 281 and Dhakshineswar Suresh’s 465.

But the charm of the Davis Cup is that pedigree and status have limited currency. India’s own 3-1 win against Switzerland last year is evidence, as the lanky Dhakshineswar beat a player ranked more than 280 places above him.

Also, Nagal was a career-high 68 in mid-2024 and has a good understanding of the Garden City’s fast, high-altitude conditions.

Interestingly, the 28-year-old has never played the opening match in any of his eight Cup appearances. A win against Den Ouden in the first rubber on Saturday can set up the tie for India.

For Sunday’s doubles, captain Rohit Rajpal, citing better preparedness, has chosen Sriram Balaji instead of Rithvik Bollipalli to partner World No. 20 Yuki Bhambri.

But India has lost the doubles point in all three of its recent outings against European opposition – to Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark. A snapping of the streak will be timely.

Order of Play:

On Saturday (Play starts at 4 p.m.): Sumit Nagal vs. Guy Den Ouden; Dhakshineswar Suresh vs. Jesper de Jong

On Sunday (Play starts at 2 p.m.): Yuki Bhambri & Sriram Balaji vs. Sander Arends & David Pel; Nagal vs. de Jong; Dhakshineswar vs. Den Ouden