Jean-Philippe Mateta has revealed that his ear was “destroyed” by Liam Roberts’s horror challenge in Crystal Palace’s FA Cup win against Millwall earlier this month.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the incident, the Palace striker admitted that he initially feared that the high boot to his face would leave him with a bleed on his brain and that he only escaped more serious damage by turning his head.
As it was, Mateta required 35 stitches to his head and will require a special mask to protect his ear if he does return in time for Palace’s FA Cup quarter-final at Fulham on March 29.
Mateta has been training alone but hopes to get permission to rejoin sessions with his team-mates next week.
“I was afraid I’d have broken bones or blood in my brain but in fact, my ear was just destroyed,” Mateta told L’Équipe. “At the last moment, I had the reflex to turn my face. I was lucky because if I hadn’t, I would have taken his foot right in the head, and it would have been much worse. After that, I never lost consciousness. I was lying on the ground, and I said to the doctor, ‘I’m fine, I want to play again.’ But he, seeing my ear, replied, ‘No, you have to go.’”
The challenge was described by Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish as “the most reckless” he could ever recall seeing on a football pitch. Mateta was taken to St George’s Hospital for urgent surgery, with the specialist refusing to let him see the damage to the side of his head.
“A plastic surgery specialist came and took pictures of my ear, which he refused to show me, so as not to let them stay in my head,” said Mateta. “Obviously, it didn’t look like an ear any more … At the beginning of the operation, the surgeon had a lot of trouble, but afterwards, as he explained to me, he found a way to save my ear. He did a hell of a job.”
Mateta had been the target of chants of “let him die” from some of the 2,800 visiting supporters that could be clearly heard on television. Roberts’ automatic three-match suspension for the red card has since been doubled to six games.
Mateta’s mother travelled from Paris to help him during his recovery and he joined the Palace squad in a training camp in Marbella last week and has since had his bandage removed.
“I have to be careful to prevent it from getting infected, I have to wash it every time I sweat,” he said. “Next week, I should be able to participate in training matches, but for that, I’ll need a mask while my ear finishes healing. I’ve been sent several models, and I’ll have to choose between those that just cover the ear and others that cover the whole face.”
