Footballer fails after being spotted on Soccer Am Brighton News

But for Haywards Heath FC’s Callum Saunders it was the start of a nightmare as it allowed insurance investigators to prove his claims of a debilitating foot injury were a lie.

Saunders, 33, Haywards Heath FC striker from 2015 to 2019, was trying to claim more than £ 55,000 for injuries after being involved in a traffic accident in March 2017.

However, his appearance on Sky TV’s Soccer AM when he scored a goal from the halfway line was one of the pieces of evidence presented to Brighton County Court to prove Saunders was exaggerating the extent of his injuries.

In the video, he kicked the ball with his right foot, the foot he claimed was injured.

A month after the accident at Marine Parade in Brighton, Saunders, of Saltdean, Brighton claimed foot injuries prevented him from working as a freelance plasterer or playing football.

However, insurance investigators working for the other party involved in the traffic accident found that in April Saunders was filmed playing for Haywards Heath FC in the match in which they won the Southern Combination Football League championship.

Callum Saunders of Haywards Heath FC

Saunders social media accounts contained several posts and tweets about his appearances for Haywards Heath FC and on several occasions in late 2017 Hayward Heath FC’s own YouTube channel posted images of Saunders playing.

In February 2019, Saunders’ goal against Three Bridges FC aired on Sky TV’s Soccer AM show.

Shortly after the ‘miracle’ target, Saunders signed a document claiming he was ‘permanently disadvantaged in the open labor market’, claiming £ 17,300 for that alone.

The cleanest strike you’ll see all day! He absolutely caught the goalie there 👏 pic.twitter.com/dvqkPeCQiP

– Football AM (@SoccerAM) February 7, 2019

While Saunders was away from work for a while, investigators suspect it was actually due to an injury he sustained while playing football.

Faced with the evidence, Saunders agreed his claim was fundamentally dishonest under section 57 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 and accepted a court order to withdraw his insurance claim and pay 5,000 £ charge.

The investigation was carried out by the law firm Clyde & Co, which worked on behalf of insurer Aviva.

Damian Rourke, the Clyde & Co partner who conducted the investigation, said: “Callum Saunders may have been happy with his appearance in Soccer AM but in the end it turned out to be a huge goal against his. camp.

“Our investigation showed that he behaved dishonestly.

“Looking back, you have to ask him how he thought he was doing after constantly posting and tweeting about his football performances.

“The law is very clear: if you exaggerate a prejudice for financial gain, the court can reject the claim and punish you. ”

Rob Lee, Claims Manager at Aviva, said: “This is a shocking example of opportunistic greed.

“Saunders clearly believed his minor injury claim was an open goal – what he wasn’t counting on was that Aviva was determined to fight fraudulent claims and stop fraudsters in their tracks.

“We will prosecute and prosecute those who commit fraud to ensure serious consequences, as Saunders can now attest.

“Cases like this highlight the urgent need for whiplash reforms, which took effect last month. The reforms remove financial incentives for those who might otherwise seek to exploit the system to their own advantage. ”

In the footage, Saunders can be seen kicking the ball from the halfway line and catching the goalkeeper out of position.

Callum Saunders left the Isthmian League Haywards Heath FC in 2019. He now plays for Horsham FC, which play in the Isthmian League Premier Division.