Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish strongly criticized Liam Roberts, stating that the Millwall goalkeeper’s dangerous tackle jeopardized Jean-Philippe Mateta’s life.
Crystal Palace’s in-form striker, Jean-Philippe Mateta, was taken to the hospital after suffering a reckless tackle from the Millwall goalkeeper during the first half of their FA Cup fifth-round match.
Roberts’ challenge, described as a ‘kung-fu kick,’ involved him kicking Mateta in the head while attempting to clear the ball recklessly. This resulted in Roberts receiving a red card.
Visibly shocked, Parish expressed his outrage in a live interview with the BBC during the game.
Parish reported, ‘From what we understand, Mateta has a severe cut behind his ear and a head injury. He is currently in the hospital, and we are hoping for a positive outcome.’
‘While football is an emotional game, the focus must be on the nature of that challenge.’
‘In my extensive experience watching football, I have never witnessed such a dangerous challenge.’
‘It was the most irresponsible tackle I believe I’ve ever seen on a football field. The player needs to seriously reflect on his actions.’
‘Such a challenge endangers a fellow professional, potentially even putting his life at risk.’
Parish expressed disbelief that referee Michael Oliver required video review to decide to send Roberts off.
He continued, ‘It is difficult to focus on the rest of the match given our concern for Jean-Philippe in the hospital. It was an absolutely dreadful challenge.’
‘The goalkeeper demonstrated a complete lack of responsibility towards a fellow player.’
‘Beyond being a football player, he is a human being. This was not a normal footballing incident. Kicking someone in the head with such force could cause unimaginable harm.’
Disturbingly, some Millwall fans in attendance reportedly mocked Mateta’s injury with chants of ‘Let him die.’
Crystal Palace quickly established a 2-0 lead within the first seven minutes of the match, with an own goal from Japhet Tanganga followed by a goal from Daniel Munoz.
Despite being down to ten men, Millwall managed to narrow the score before halftime with a goal from Wes Harding.
Millwall fought hard, but their hopes for reaching the quarter-finals were extinguished by a brilliant header from Crystal Palace substitute Eddie Nketiah.
Marcus Bellamy