Oliver Glasner described the challenge by the Millwall goalkeeper, Liam Roberts, that sent Jean-Philippe Mateta to hospital as “a very, very serious foul play”, but said he did not believe Roberts had intended to cause any injury.
“It was tough to see it,” Glasner, the Crystal Palace manager, said. “I don’t want to see it any more. Just imagine if he hits his face straight, with all this power and the studs, it could have been the end of JP’s career.
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“He is conscious and he is in hospital. His ear looks terrible. It’s a very serious injury, so we hope all the best for him. We are not really happy, we can’t be really happy.”
Speaking to the BBC at half-time, the Crystal Palace chair, Steve Parish, described the foul as the worst he had ever seen in football. “In all the time I’ve watched football, I’ve never seen a challenge like it,” he said. “It is the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I’ve ever seen.”
Glasner was more conciliatory, however. “I’m pretty sure he did not want to injure JP in this situation, but I also think you have to decide when you make such an impact, that you just can’t do it in this way – the risk of a very serious injury is just too high. It was the wrong decision that the goalkeeper took in this moment, but I always believe all the sportsmen I know they never want to injure the opposition players, he didn’t want to injure him in this way, but the decision to go to the ball with his foot at this height, with this intensity, was the completely wrong decision.”
Mateta later posted on social media that he was “doing well”. “Thank you for all your kind messages. I hope to be back very soon. And stronger than ever,” he wrote. “Well done guys for the great job today.”
Glasner was satisfied his team had progressed to the quarter-finals and praised his players’ resilience in seeing out the game. “I don’t feel happiness, still sadness and doubt, because of how serious JP’s injury is. My fingers are crossed, and hopefully he can play in the quarter-finals, in four weeks, we all hope it’s not that serious.
“When you see your team-mate carried out on a stretcher and with an oxygen mask, no one wants to see this, for anyone, let alone a team-mate or friend.”
The Millwall manager, Alex Neil, was quick to defend his player. “Liam has come out, he’s tried to get the ball, he’s mis-timed it and caught the lad. It’s no more than that from my perspective. He has certainly not intended to hurt the player or anything like it. We wish Mateta the best and hope he gets back on the pitch.
“If he’s caught him and he deserved to be sent off, he deserved to be sent off. I don’t agree with the fact that he has went out intending to hurt the player.”
