Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner believes Millwall keeper Liam Roberts’ clash with Jean-Philippe Mateta could have been a career-ending challenge and deserved a red card.
Mateta was carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital early in the hosts’ 3-1 FA Cup fifth-round victory at Selhurst Park.
He has since posted on social media that he is “doing well” and hopes to be “back very soon”.
Roberts, who had come out to meet a through ball, kicked the France international in the head and was dismissed after a VAR check in the eighth minute.
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Millwall manager Alex Neil also admitted it was a red card offence, but defended his goalkeeper and said he did not set out to deliberately injure Mateta.
Glasner, who condemned Roberts’ high foot but also did not feel he intended to injure the France international, said after the match: “I heard he’s conscious and that it is a serious ear injury.
“I didn’t see it in real time during the game. I didn’t want to see it after the game, because I never want to watch an injury, but then of course because I was going to have to talk about it I watched it, and it was a very, very serious foul play.
“Tough to see. I don’t want to see it anymore. The good thing is, just imagine if he hits his face straight, with his power, with the studs, it is the end of JP’s career.
“I’m pretty sure he didn’t want to injure JP in this situation, but I also think that you have to decide when you make such an impact, you just can’t do it in this way.
“The risk of a very, very serious injury is just too high, so I think it was the wrong decision the keeper took in this moment, but I always believe in the fair play of sportsmen, I know they never want to injure their opposition players.
“I think he didn’t want to injure him in that way, but I think the decision to go to the ball with his foot at this height, with this intensity was the completely wrong decision, and, of course, I think everybody agrees that the red card was the right decision.”
Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts clashes with Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta (PA)
Millwall fell behind in the 33rd minute through Japhet Tanganga’s own goal.
Daniel Munoz added another for the Eagles seven minutes later and Wes Harding clawed one back for the visitors deep in first-half stoppage time before Eddie Nketiah – who came on for Mateta – extended Palace’s lead nine minutes from time.
Glasner was pleased to see his side through to the quarter-finals, but added: “I don’t feel happiness today, still a sadness and doubt.
“My fingers are crossed that he can play in the quarter-finals.”
Mateta lay on the pitch receiving treatment for some time before he was carried off, and some Millwall fans could be heard chanting “let him die”.
The PA news agency understands the FA cannot investigate the offensive chants directed at Mateta – which do not breach regulations – but will be investigating homophobic chants directed at Palace defender Ben Chilwell.
Speaking to the BBC, Palace chairman Steve Parish condemned the collision as “the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I’ve ever seen” and described the injury as “a bad gash behind his ear and a head injury”.
Crystal Palace co-owner and chairman Steve Parish – who has criticised the challenge – watches the game.
Lions boss Neil insisted he was too occupied to hear the chants, and dismissed Parish’s assessment about the severity of the challenge.
He said: “Listen, what’s happened is Liam’s come out, he’s tried to get the ball, he’s mis-timed it, he’s caught the lad.
“It’s no more than that from my perspective, so I completely disagree with that. He’s certainly not intending to hurt the player or anything like it.
“Obviously we wish Mateta the best, and hoping he’s back on the pitch. I don’t know how bad it is or how bad it isn’t.
“I’ll be honest with you, at the time I thought he actually made contact with the ball. I haven’t seen it back, but the fact is if he’s caught him then he deserves to be sent off.
“It’s a sending-off, but it’s certainly no more than that.”