J’ACCUSE! Why is football ignoring the problem of goalkeeper violence?
I have an accusation to level at the sport of football. Against FIFA, IFAB, the international confederations, the national federations – in fact all the governing bodies of the sport, everywhere in the world. Plus all referees. Consider the following…
Germany. September 17, 2017.
Wolfsburg goalkeeper Koen Casteels races off his line and jumps heavily into Stuttgart’s captain Christian Gentner. Casteels leads with a raised knee, which crashes violently into Gentner’s head. Seconds later, Gentner is sprawled on the ground with eye-socket fractures, a broken nose, a fractured upper jaw and severe concussion.
Almost certainly, his life was saved by his team doctor, who raced on to the pitch to prevent Gentner from choking on his own tongue.
A horrifying…
