There is a saying in sports medicine that “ The coach decides who plays and the team doctor decides who cannot play”. All over the world and cutting across all sports, team coaches and managers just seem to find it difficult to accept that players who are not fit are a danger to their team. We always look at the previous output of the player and expect him to perform at the same level even if he is not fit.It is, especially difficult if the said player is recovering from an injury and is key to the success of the team.
Recovering from an injury is a complex process which involves physical, psychological and emotional issues. The final phase of recovery is when the athlete re-learns his skills to enable him compete at the pre-injury level. However, coaches are under tremendous pressure and will always want to shorten this process. This pressure is then passed on to the team doctor who is expected to deliver results and if he/she is not firm, the doctor will not be able to hold his grounds and clear a player as being fit. I have been in situations where management have bypassed their team doctor and gone for a second opinion that then declares the player fit much to the detriment of the whole team.
Watching last weekend’s UEFA Champions League finals, I was shocked to see two reputable coaches risk the success of their teams by making ill-advised decisions on playing unfit players. Diego Costa of Atletico Madrid had been battling a hamstring injury prior to the finals and from the timeline for the recovery of this injurym he was not going to be fit for the finals. Ironically, he had been sent to Serbia for treatment I guess with the placenta healer who had gained prominence for accelerating the recovery of muscle injuries. I have previously stated my opinion on that treatment so will not discuss its merits or demerits here. Subsequent events showed that he was not healed and was substituted after only nine minutes of ineffective play. I know it is tough for coaches to take this decision. They will rather play an injured star than risk the wrath of everyone else by dropping the star player. Luis Suarez and Samuel Eto’o are examples of superstars battling injuries and I know there is no way their respective countries will leave them at home. But history tells us that very few of these players who were battling injuries before and during the World Cup ever went to claim glory.
The most high profile example in my opinion happened in the 1998 World Cup final when France played Brazil. Both teams were at par but with Brazil having a slight edge on paper. That was only on paper because in form Ronaldo on the Brazilian team who was the best player in the world at that time was battling with injuries. The morning of the game, it was rumored that Ronaldo had suffered a seizure the cause of which was later said in sports medicine circles to have been caused by a reaction he got from local anesthetic injections he got to numb pain in some parts of his knees and ankles. The rest is history and France romped to a lopsided 3-0 score line in a match that Brazil never got their attacking machinery going.
We can all cast back our minds to the drama that went on before England enplaned to Germany for the 2006 World Cup. Michael Owen was battling a fracture in his foot that he sustained at end of the season playing for his club. I remember the talking points and all kinds of medical experts giving their opinion about how long an injury like that will heal. In my book, an injury like that will take at least three months to return and it does not matter who you are. The fact is there is just no way to accelerate the healing process. With all the pressure and after playing in warm up games, he was thrust into the starting line up after he sat out the first two group games.
England had just kicked off against Sweden in their final group match in the World Cup finals. With nobody around Owen, his knee collapsed as he played a simple ball to Ashley Cole. Diagnosis was a multi-ligament knee injury and after four major surgeries his career was effectively over. Ironically, Wayne Rooney his teammate also battled for fitness with a metatarsal fracture and finally made it for the second group game but was very ineffective. As a matter of curiosity and interest, the England squad has a thing with foot fractures. Jack Wilshire is battling with time over a fractured foot for the World Cup, which kicks off in two weeks. In 2002, David Beckham fractured a bone in his foot two months before time but was able to play.
This is a list of stars I compiled who are at risk of or definitely missing the World Cup,
Abou Diaby (France),
Jonathan dos Santos (Mexico) Sami Khedira (Germany)
Erik Lamela (Argentina
Theo Walcott (England)
Giuseppe Rossi (Italy)
Robbie Kruse (Australia)
Makoto Hasebe (Japan)
Stuart Holden (USA)
Jack Wilshere (England)
Kevin Strootman (Holland)
Kyle Walker (England)
Jese Rodriguez (Spain)
Jay Rodrigues (England)
Silvio Manuel Pereira (Portugal)
Andros Townsend (England)
Steve Mandanda (France)
Diego Costa (Spain)
Luis Suarez (Uruguay)
Niko Kranjcar (Croatia)
Rafael Van Der Vaart (Holland).
From the scientific point, I will be monitoring these players and see the impact they will have on their teams if they make it.
The good news for our senior national team is that we don’t have any injury concerns and everyone is fit and healthy.
