Former Premier League defender Steve Finnan is facing bankruptcy following a long-running legal saga with his brother that has spanned more than a decade.
Finnan, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, first became embroiled in the dispute after concerns arose over how he and his brother Sean were managing their property business.
In 2018, Finnan secured a £4million High Court settlement, but he never received the money after his brother declared bankruptcy.
Since then, the former Irish international has found himself in a whirlwind of legal battles, including a failed £6million negligence claim against his former solicitors, Charles Russell Speechlys. At one point, Finnan even tried to have a lawyer jailed for contempt of court – a move that ended with him being hit with a five-figure costs bill, which remains unpaid.
The financial troubles have now culminated in a bankruptcy petition at Central London County Court. Finnan tried to appeal the proceedings, arguing that the case was ‘complex’ and that the judge handling it showed ‘apparent bias’.
However, Mr Justice Mellor dismissed the appeal as ‘hopeless’, branding it an attempt to delay the final hearing. He noted that the bankruptcy case relates to a small costs order under £50,000, not the multi-million disputes Finnan has been involved in previously.
Finnan, now 49, enjoyed a stellar career with Fulham, Liverpool, and Portsmouth, earning over 50 caps for Ireland, but his post-football life has been dominated by litigation rather than trophies.