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LIVERPOOL, England : Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard lashed out at a man "with the style and speed of a professional boxer" after losing his cool in a bar brawl, a court heard Tuesday.
The 29-year-old England midfielder is accused of being part of a group that injured businessman Marcus McGee, 34, at the Lounge Inn nightclub in Southport near Liverpool, northwest England, in December last year.
Gerrard was celebrating Liverpool's 5-1 win at Newcastle United at the time. He denies the charge of affray. An initial charge of assault was dropped at a court hearing in March.
The row erupted after Gerrard asked McGee for a card controlling the CD player, saying: "Give me that, lad," the court heard.
"Mr McGee took offence at his attitude and the expression 'lad' and he refused. Not many people on Merseyside, or indeed anywhere else, would refuse a request from Steven Gerrard but Mr McGee did," said prosecutor David Turner.
Gerrard was left fuming by the exchange, and six minutes later came back over to Mr McGee, squaring up to him "in the sort of hostile confrontation that is often seen between professional footballers," and asked him: "Who the f*** do you think you are?"
"Steven Gerrard had clearly lost his cool: he was angry with Marcus McGee," said Turner.
Gerrard's friends came over to help, and one of them, John Doran, pushed McGee away and "could not resist following through with his right elbow into Mr McGee's face", said Turner.
"We say at this stage Gerrard totally lost it.
"Within seconds, Steven Gerrard joined in the attack with a succession of well aimed uppercut punches delivered with the style and speed of a professional boxer rather than a professional footballer."
Throughout the hearing Gerrard sat in the dock listening carefully, staring straight ahead.
Turner said the key question was whether Gerrard was acting in self-defence.
"Steven Gerrard is a world class footballer. He has the honour to be captain of Liverpool FC and to play for England. He is a star. He is Liverpool born and bred and here on Merseyside is a hero," he said.
"We do not say that Mr Gerrard is normally an arrogant man, we don't say that he is a bully.
"What we do say is that that night he just lost his self control and joined in an attack which should never have taken place. He let himself down."
Gerrard told police he hit McGee as he thought he was going to be attacked.
But the prosecutor poured scorn on this, saying: "If you consider Steven Gerrard was or even may have been acting in self defence you will acquit.
"But we say on this occasion Steven Gerrard's fists, not his feet, did the talking. This was never self defence in a hundred years," said Turner.
Gerrard is facing trial alone, after five co-defendants admitted affray, and one admitted a lesser charge of threatening behaviour.
The other five were Accrington Stanley players Robert Grant, 19, and Ian Dunbavin, 28, as well as Ian Gerrard Smith, 19, Paul McGrattan, 31 and John McGrattan.
His absence from the Liverpool squad has put helped put a dampener on the club's current much-hyped Asian swing.
His British court date was set before the trip to Asia was announced, although Gerrard featured in promotional adverts aired on television in the region.
Liverpool matches against Thailand on Wednesday and Singapore four days later were heavily promoted with both games likely to play in front of sell-out crowds.
- AFP/il
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