Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta has been discharged from the hospital after a serious head injury that left him with an ‘almost-half-ear”. The injury occurred following a horrific head-high tackle by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts during saturday’s match. Mateta was stretchered off during the game while Crystal Palace won 3-1.
After the incident, he underwent surgery and received 25 stitches for a severe cut on his left ear. Crystal Palace announced that he is now out of the hospital. Medical scans showed that he is in good health, and he is reportedly feeling well despite the alarming situation on the pitch.
Initially, the referee, Michael Oliver, did not issue a red card to Roberts. However, after reviewing the play with VAR, he sent Roberts off for the dangerous tackle. This decision was met with strong criticism from Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish.
Mateta shared an update on his condition via Instagram. He reassured fans that he is doing well and expressed optimism about returning to play. He aims to come back stronger after this incident.
Speaking to the media at half-time, Parish said: “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.
“He needs to have a long, hard look at himself because he’s endangering a fellow professional with a challenge like that.
“And why the referee needs to go to the screen, I have no idea… If you’re kicking him in the head at full force, who knows what kind of damage could be done.”
The timeline for Mateta’s recovery will depend on how quickly his injury heals. The club will monitor his progress closely before determining when he can safely resume training and match play.
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