There was a truly frightening moment during yesterday’s 2018 King’s Cup Final (an annual international tournament in Bangkok) between Slovakia and Thailand when Slovak captain Martin Skrtel went down in the 28th minute after being struck in the face by the ball.
The 33-year-old Fenerbahce defender was immediately knocked unconscious by the impact, and a quick-thinking teammate did the right thing by ensuring that Skrtel hadn’t swallowed his tongue, an action which could potentially be fatal because of the resulting airway obstruction.
Relieved to hear Martin Skrtel is okay after getting knocked out and swallowing his tongue today pic.twitter.com/dzra8KCyqH
— Ste Carson (@sjrcarson) March 25, 2018
We have no idea if Skrtel did in fact swallow his tongue, we just know that Skrtel’s teammate should be commended for his actions while we, as a website, will steer clear of the sensationalist route taken by some of the truly godawful news outlets out there.
What we do know is that Skrtel was certainly knocked unconscious and should’ve been withdrawn immediately. But for whatever reason, in what was nothing more than a glamor friendly, Skrtel soldiered on until the 73rd minute before being substituted for Milan Skriniar.
It’s impossible to justify this decision. As the captain and a proven warrior on the pitch (Skrtel spent over eight years with Liverpool forging his reputation as a no-nonsense center back), we can surmise that Skrtel wanted to stay on. What’s more, as an international veteran battling to keep his place during a period of transition for Slovakia (the nation failed to qualify for the World Cup), Skrtel probably put even more pressure on himself to continue playing.
It’s in a situation like this where the player, for the reasons stated above, should not be allowed to make the decision.
As is the case in the Premier League — where if there is a confirmed or even suspected loss of consciousness, the player must be removed and then not allowed to return — this event should’ve spelled the end of Skrtel’s day. You'd hope to see some action from FIFA here, but we won't.
Regardless, it’s a relief to see that Skrtel is doing well following yesterday’s incident.
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