Anderlecht keeper Daniel Zitka will be out of action until well into the New Year after a jarring collision in a Jupiler League game against Dender. The Czech international came off his line to punch a cross-ball and was badly injured in the process. He broke his leg, damaged ankle ligaments and snapped two teeth. The video shows Zitka lying on the turf in clear distress. Hard as it is to believe, things got even worse for him before he made it off the pitch.
Dropped by a stumbling stretcher-bearer on the touchline. And with a broken leg, too! That must have really hurt. Here’s hoping that we never have to submit ourselves to Belgian first aid.
On Thursday night, Braga take on AC Milan at the San Siro. Gennaro Gattuso will be at the heart of the Rossoneri’s midfield for the Group E UEFA Cup match, having recently recovered from injury. The Italian bashed his head and dislocated all five fingers of his left hand during an incident in a training match. He also required an operation to repair a broken metacarpus. Who caused this terrible physical damage? Watch the video to find out.
So there you go. Running backwards into a dugout is not good for your health. More football falls onto concrete can be seen here.
If you leaf back through enough newsprint, you’ll discover that Liverpool’s Phil Babb was a popular tabloid target in the late nineties. The defender’s extra-curricular activities with glamour model Jo Guest were scrutinised for the public good. “My Extra-Time Loving Ruined Phil’s Ball Control,” announced the News of the World headline. What an ego that girl has! Scousers may care to remember that Phil’s ball control wasn’t up to much before his front page fling. Guest shouldn’t be taking credit for destroying the Irishman’s touch so much as making it worse than it was in the first place!
Babb has long since disappeared from the tabloid gaze. It would normally be impossible say why the newspapers decide to look elsewhere, but I’d be prepared to guess that this incident against Chelsea in ‘98 had something to do with it. A goal line clearance gone wrong and an end to “extra-time loving”. There’s no shame in averting your eyes. In fact, no-one will think any less of you if you want to shed a tear and cradle yourself. Unless of course you’re in an Internet cafe…