A Frenaros FC 2000 player was taken to hospital with a neck injury after crashing into concrete next to the touchline during a match against Agios Theodoros on Saturday. His club blamed the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) for approving unsafe grounds.
The player, from the visiting side, was injured in the 20th minute and taken by ambulance to Larnaca General Hospital for tests, the club said in a statement.
“Must we mourn victims before those responsible are mobilised?” the club said. It said it had raised the approval and safety of grounds at the last meeting of clubs in the Elite Division, specifically mentioning the Agios Theodoros and Orfeas grounds, and that the issue was no longer just a concern or a warning.
Frenaros said it did not blame or take aim at Agios Theodoros, which plays at the ground it has been given and approved to use. The home club acted immediately after the incident, calling an ambulance and taking the necessary steps, Frenaros said.
Responsibility lies with the federation and the relevant CFA bodies, which inspect and approve sports facilities, the club said. Player safety cannot be a secondary issue or dealt with only after a serious incident, it added.
The club said it hoped the player’s injury would not prove serious. It will send formal letters to the relevant bodies from Monday and make further public statements, seeking clear answers and concrete action.
