I Can't Seem to Face Up to the Facts

Note: Non-soccer fans, please don't skip this post because you see a depiction of the beautiful game. I can forgive you skipping over my Liverpool posts, but I have another reason for this entry.

As someone who is 24 and understands what it means to have your entire life ahead of you, it was hard to read, and see, the stories today regarding Arsenal striker Eduardo Da Silva's horrific leg injury.

Eduardo, (he's Brazilian, so I'm only using the first name in honor of Cris), who also happens to be 24, had his leg broken in three places by this tackle from Birmingham City F.C.'s skipper Martin Taylor. I would place the resulting picture in the body of the post, but since it is more than a little unsettling, I'm giving you the option of seeing it if you wish.

For those who are okay with compound fractures and displaced joints, you can click here. I'm warning you, though. Human ankles should not look like that.

After the match, Arsenal manager Arsene Wegner went as far as to suggest that Taylor should receive a lifetime ban from the English Premier League for such a tackle, but Wenger has since retracted that statement. A quick glance at the following photo taken by the BBC at the match tells you everything you need to know about the severity of Eduardo's injury and the shocked reaction of everyone else on the pitch to his cries for help.In an unforgiving game like soccer, where a striker's worth is calculated by his ability to cut and accelerate past defenders, some are saying that such a debilitating injury could signal the end of Eduardo's career in the top level of international football. Everyone who reads this blog knows where my loyalties lie in the world of European football, but to see such a talented figure's career take a potentially fatal blow was difficult, even more so because of the seemingly reckless manner of the challenge by Taylor.

Taylor's current manager, Alex McLeish, and former manager, Steve Bruce, were quick to come to Taylor's defense in asserting that he is not a dirty player and there was nothing malicious in the challenge, and to a certain extent, it's difficult to fathom a person who would set out to cause such a catastrophic injury. What I am sure of is this: besides Eduardo, the person who probably feels the worst about this is Taylor himself. I have no idea what it feels like to carry the knowledge that you might have ended the career of a promising young star in such a reckless manner, but Taylor does, and that is his burden to carry.