A father who sued a football club for £3,000 after claiming it was racist for substituting his son, 10, has to pay it back because court documents were not sent to the team.
The father took Berkshire-based Winnersh Rangers to a county court after his son's coach took the boy, 10, off the pitch during a pre-season football tournament in summer 2018.
He claimed that the club substituting him was 'emotional abuse' and 'racism'.
The club, which is funded by donations, said it didn't attend the court case because it was not informed about it.
A father who sued a football club for £3,000 after claiming it was racist for substituting his son, 10, has to pay it back because court documents were not sent to the team. The club's chairman Matt Joy and secretary Phil Chick told the hearing they only knew a court had ruled in favour of the parent 'by chance' and that the papers were sent to a field which it hires to play matches. Mr Chick is pictured arriving at court.
And at an appeal hearing at Reading County Court today it was revealed that the court documents were mistakenly 'sent to a field' which the club rents for matches instead of the club's offices.
Overturning the £3,235 fine and ordering the case go to a new hearing, District Judge Byass said: 'I accept, as a matter of fact, the claimant was provided with [the club's] address.
'I also accept the address used on the service of proceedings was an address where the club plays rather than a postal address.
'The default judgement and debt order has been set aside.'
The club's chairman Matt Joy and secretary Phil Chick told the hearing they only knew a court had ruled in favour of the parent 'by chance'.
They explained a postman who was returning to the pitches to provide a notice letter luckily turned up on a Saturday morning while a team was playing a match.
District Judge Stephen Byass told the father, who can't be
