Jean-Philippe Mateta, the Crystal Palace forward, was taken from the Selhurst Park pitch on a stretcher after being caught in the face by a head-high challenge from Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts who was sent off for the foul.
Mateta appeared unconscious and received treatment for more than eight minutes before being taken to a waiting ambulance.
The Palace forward was the target of chants of “let him die” from some of the 2,800 visiting supporters that could be clearly heard on television, and BBC commentator Jonathan Pearce said: “Millwall fans are not endearing themselves to anyone with their chanting about Mateta. The football club could be revisited about that.”
The incident happened in the sixth minute of the FA Cup fifth-round tie as Mateta ran on to a long ball and Roberts raced out of his penalty area. The goalkeeper attempted to clear the bouncing ball and was off the ground when studs struck Mateta.
Roberts was dismissed after referee Michael Oliver reviewed the incident on a pitchside monitor.
At half-time, Palace chairman Steve Parish was interviewed by the BBC and was clearly seething about the tackle.
“He [Mateta] has got a bad gash behind his ear and a head injury,” he said. “He’s at the hospital and we hope for the best.
“There’s a lot of emotion in football but we need to talk about that challenge. I’ve never seen a challenge like it... that’s the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I’ve ever seen.
“I think he [Roberts] needs to have a long, hard look at himself that lad, because he’s endangered a fellow professional, maybe his life with a challenge like that. So it’s very difficult for me to talk about the rest of the game because we’re worried about JP and it’s just a terrible, terrible challenge.
“Of course, they’re professionals, and that’s another thing, you know. They’re all professionals out there – they’ve got to treat each other like professionals and have a duty of care towards their fellow professional, you know.
“It’s difficult for me to think about anything else at the moment with JP in hospital, as I say, in all the time I’ve watched football – and I think somebody mentioned there was one in the World Cup in 1982 like it – but it’s a dreadful challenge. And why the referee needs to go to the screen, I’ve got no idea.
“He’s a human being, let’s forget about a football player. I mean, that’s not just a normal challenge, you know. I mean, if you’re kicking somebody in the head with full force, God knows what damage has been done to him.
“I mean, yes, it’s a good moment for us as a football club, and it’s a great day and it’s the FA Cup and we want to progress, but it’s very difficult for me to get past that challenge, I’m sorry, at the moment.”
"That is the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I've ever seen."
Crystal Palace chairman and co-owner Steve Parish has spoken about Millwall keeper Liam Roberts' challenge on Jean-Philippe Mateta. pic.twitter.com/gkcR9IMSEI
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) March 1, 2025
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