{
  "id": 1416030,
  "title": "Ballboy kicked by Hazard in 2013 set for £100m payout from £500m Au Vodka sale",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/ballboy-kicked-by-hazard-in-2013-set-for-100m-payout-from-500m-au",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-16T21:31:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/former-swansea-city-ballboy-charlie-morgan-kicked-by-eden-hazard-in-2013-set-to-sell-500-million-au-vodka-empire-for-reported-100-million-payout/articleshow/133282030.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Charlie Morgan, a former Swansea City ballboy, is on the verge of receiving a £100 million payout from the sale of his premium vodka brand, Au Vodka, for an estimated £500 million. This comes 13 years after the infamous incident in which Eden Hazard kicked Morgan during a League Cup semi-final match in 2013. Morgan, who was just 17 at the time, was involved in a controversial incident where he allegedly deliberately lied on the ball to waste time, leading Hazard to kick him and resulting in the Belgian midfielder being sent off. Despite this incident, Morgan went on to build a successful business empire with his friend Jackson Quinn, launching Au Vodka in 2015. The brand has since grown rapidly, selling over 35,000 bottles daily and expanding into a major premium spirits business based in Swansea. Morgan's success has attracted the attention of celebrity supporters such as Ronaldinho and Floyd Mayweather. Recent negotiations suggest the potential deal may be close, with Morgan and Quinn potentially receiving around £100 million each if the deal goes through.",
  "summary": "Charlie Morgan, the former Swansea City ballboy who made headlines after Eden Hazard kicked him during a 2013 League Cup match, is reportedly close to a £500 million sale of his Au Vodka business. Morgan co-founded the brand in 2015 with Jackson Quinn, and the deal could reportedly earn each founder around £100 million.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}