Klasnic calls former team-mates in kidney treatment claim

BREMEN - Croatian footballer Ivan Klasnic is calling 64 players and coaches as witnesses as he seeks damages of more than 1 million euros ($1.35 million) in a medical dispute with his former club Werder Bremen.

Der Spiegel magazine reported that Germany internationals Torsten Frings, Miroslav Klose and Tim Borowski - all former team-mates at Bremen - are among those Klasnic wants to give evidence.

Frings is still a Bremen player, while Klose and Borowski are now at Bayern Munich.

Klasnic, 29, who now plays for French side Nantes, is suing two doctors at Werder Bremen over his treatment for kidney problems that eventually led to two organ transplants.

The striker last month rejected a settlement offer of 350,000 euros made by a Bremen judge, saying he wants the team doctors to acknowledge that they did not treat him properly.

Klasnic is seeking compensation totalling 1.1 million euros, including damages for pain suffered and loss of earnings.

He wants former team-mates to confirm that doctors routinely provided painkillers before matches, the player’s lawyer, Matthias Teichner, told the magazine.

Klasnic underwent two kidney transplant operations in early 2007 while still at Bremen.

He claims negligent treatment by the club’s medical team, alleging the doctors failed to recognise a serious kidney problem despite blood test readings which should have alerted them. The doctors reject the allegations.