SOCCER: Petr Cech will not play football until next year after undergoing neurosurgery on Saturday night in the wake of a collision with Reading's Stephen Hunt. The clash, one of several controversial incidents in Chelsea's 1-0 win at the Madejski Stadium, will prompt a video review by the Football Association today.
The Chelsea goalkeeper and Reading's 25-year-old Irish left-winger collided in the first minute of the match. Cech suffered a depressed fracture of the skull and was rushed to the Royal Berkshire hospital, before being transferred to the specialist brain-injury unit at Oxford's Radcliffe Infirmary.
The injury is likely to leave him on the sidelines for several months. However, neither Chelsea nor the hospital was giving a firm prognosis last night, stating that "it is too early to give an accurate assessment of his condition".
The Czech international's expected absence may be compounded by an injury to the substitute goalkeeper, Carlo Cudicini. He too was taken to hospital after being knocked out in a separate collision during injury time with Reading's Ibrahima Sonko. The Italian spent the night under observation and, although released yesterday, missed training and was said to be "groggy".
Despite a potential goalkeeper crisis for Wednesday's Champions League match at home to Barcelona, it is expected Chelsea will seek the advice of a neurosurgeon before determining Cudicini's fitness to play.
The Premiership champions last night pronounced Cech's operation "successful" but do not consider the matter closed. A letter is being prepared for the FA, calling on the authorities to take retrospective measures against Hunt.
Irrespective of the pressure from Chelsea, the FA had already announced its intention to open a video investigation of all the matters arising from the match.
Three red cards, for Chelsea's midfielder Mikel John Obi, their fitness coach Rui Faria and Reading substitute Andre Bikey, will all require review. But it is the lack of sanction against Hunt that left Chelsea seething.
The club's statement yesterday "endorsed" the post-match comments of Jose Mourinho, in which he claimed Hunt had deliberately injured his goalkeeper. "The player went in with intent," said the manager. "He went into Petr's face with his knee. I'm not saying he intended to send Petr to hospital but the challenge deserved a red card."
But according to Hunt's captain, Graeme Murty, who spoke with Hunt yesterday about the incident, it was not a malicious challenge.
"I know Stephen really well," he said. "I spoke to him and I know that he's gutted that Petr Cech's hurt. He wants to speak to him, but he's not sure when, with it being such a highly charged incident. I think it's a little bit soon at the moment.
"I think he'll do it when things are a little bit calmer and then it will be taken for what it is rather than someone trying to pander to (Jose) Mourinho and the press. It's not about that - it's about him being concerned for another player.
"(Stephen) knows in his heart of hearts that there is no way he would ever intend for anyone to be hurt. He's not that sort of player. He was given his chance because of an injury, he's come into the team and he's so unfortunate that his first contribution is to be splashed all over the back pages of the papers."
Chelsea are prepared to submit to the verdict of the football authorities and have made no complaint to Thames Valley police. But they will be dismayed to learn that it may be Mourinho himself who comes under the FA's closest scrutiny. Senior sources indicated last night it would be hard to prove that Hunt's lunge was a calculated act. If the challenge, in which he caught Cech with his knee in tussling for a ball smothered by the prone goalkeeper, is deemed accidental, the severity of Mourinho's accusation will come under the microscope.
Although punitive measures against Mourinho seem unlikely, he could be warned of a responsibility not to make such a serious claim in future.
If any charges result from Chelsea's win, they are likelier to focus on the players sent off, both for two yellow cards. In each case Mikel and Bikey made prolonged protests to the referee, Mike Riley, and had to be dragged away by team-mates. In such instances, where players refuse to leave the field promptly, the FA can impose an additional one-match ban. Whether that sanction is enforced against Bikey and Mikel depends on Riley's report.
Guardian Service
