Crystal Palace star Jean-Philippe Mateta has had 25 stitches after he was on the end of a head-high tackle during his side’s FA Cup clash with Millwall.
He was given the stitches after suffering a severe laceration to his left ear after a head-high foul from Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts, who was later shown a red card.
Crystal Palace club’s chairman Steve Parish called the incident “the most reckless” tackle he had ever seen on a football pitch.
“All scans were clear and JP is feeling well,” Crystal Palace later said in a statement.
“He will now rest and recuperate over the following days where his progress will be monitored by our club doctor.
“Thank you to the medical staff at both Selhurst Park and the hospital for their help and professionalism, and for all the wishes of support that JP and the club have received today.”
Parish said Mateta suffered a “bad gash behind his ear and a head injury so far as we know” after Roberts kicked him in the head as they raced for the ball early on in the fifth-round match at Selhurst Park.
French forward Mateta, 27, received 10 minutes of medical attention after the foul but could not continue and was stretchered off wearing a neck brace before being taken straight to hospital.
Videos posted to social media showed Mateta making a clenched fist gesture towards Palace fans as he was taken away.
Referee Michael Oliver initially took no action, but after checking the pitch side monitor, he sent off Roberts.
Parish later told the BBC that Roberts “needs to have a long hard look at himself because he’s endangering a fellow professional with a challenge like that”.
“There’s a lot of emotion but we need to talk about that challenge. In all the time I’ve watched football I’ve never seen a challenge like it.”
He later told Sky Sports: “I think he [Mateta] is OK, I’ve had a message from his agents.
“It’s a head injury so you don’t really know, but he’s got a really bad gash. I think his ear is almost in half. It’s a bad one but I’ve said what I’ve said.”
Many were reminded of a notorious foul by West Germany ‘keeper Harald Schumacher on France defender Patrick Battiston in the 1982 World Cup semi-final.
Battiston was concussed and lost three teeth after the head-high challenge, while Schumacher escaped punishment.
Glasner told BBC Sport Mateta’s ear “looks terrible”, calling it a “very serious injury”.
Asked about the victory, which puts the Eagles into the quarter-finals, he said the injury meant he “can’t be really happy… when you lose a player with a foul like this, you have two different feelings in your stomach”.
He said he was sure Roberts “didn’t want to injure JP [Mateta]”, but “if you go [to] the ball like this with the intensity in the head, you just can’t do it because it’s so dangerous. I don’t want to blame him, but it’s a terrible foul”.
Both Glasner and Parish passed on their best wishes to Mateta.
Millwall boss Alex Neil told BBC Sport he didn’t “think there’s any intent” in Roberts’ challenge.
“I certainly wouldn’t label it as the worst challenge I’ve seen. We don’t want the lad to be injured so naturally, we wish Mateta well and hope he’s back on the pitch soon,” he said.
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“For me, it’s mistimed, he’s been sent off, he’s disappointed,” Neil added. “We wish Mateta well and it’s nothing more than that for me.”
Neil admitted he had not watched video of the challenge.
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But the governing body will not be investigating after some Millwall supporters were heard shouting “let him die” when Mateta was receiving medical treatment.
It is understood that while the FA is aware of the chanting about Mateta and condemns offensive chants like this, they do not breach the body’s regulations.
Sky News has contacted Millwall and the FA for comment.
