Crystal Palace striker Jean Philippe Mateta said his ear was “destroyed” following a challenge from Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts and could have suffered an even more serious head injury had he not turned his head at the last moment.
The Frenchman required 25 stitches in his ear after Roberts came off his line and caught Mateta in the face with a high foot. The 27-year-old could return to action for Palace’s FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham at the end of the month after his ear was saved by surgery.
He told L’Équipe: “I was afraid I’d have broken bones or blood in my brain but in fact, my ear was just destroyed. At the last moment, I had the reflex to turn my face. I was lucky because if I hadn’t, I would have taken his foot right in the head, and it would have been much worse.”
Mateta has accepted an apology from Roberts, who was sent off for the challenge and has been banned for six games by the FA. “I told him, ‘Don’t worry, it’s not that serious,’” Mateta said. “He could have avoided doing that, but these things happen.”
Mateta will need to wear a mask to protect his ear when he returns to the pitch and he said he was spared the full details of his gruesome injury.
“A plastic surgery specialist came and took pictures of my ear, which he refused to show me, so as not to let them stay in my head,” he added. “Obviously, it didn’t look like an ear any more.
“At the beginning of the operation, the surgeon had a lot of trouble, but afterwards, as he explained to me, he found a way to save my ear. He did a hell of a job.
“I have to be careful to prevent it from getting infected, I have to wash it every time I sweat.
“Next week, I should be able to participate in training matches, but for that, I’ll need a mask while my ear finishes healing.
“I’ve been sent several models, and I’ll have to choose between those that just cover the ear and others that cover the whole face.”
