On 8 December 2013, at a Division I PRO LEAGUE Championship match between Standard de Liège and the Oud-Hervelee Louvain Club (OHL), OHL striker Ruytinx injured Standard winger Carcela, who then slapped him in the face. He was sent off, and Ruytinx was given a yellow card. Controversy: Was this deliberate? Culpable error? Or just part of the game?

Following the match, Standard Liège sued OHL and its striker for compensation, claiming damages of 1.65 million euro.

This case raises the question of the responsibility of players for injuries caused while playing sports. There are several theories about this. According to the first, the so-called “risk acceptance theory”, the victim tacitly or implicitly waives invoking the full responsibility of the author of the injury (based on a proven fault), on the grounds that he or she accepts the...

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