Jean-Philippe Mateta: Crystal Palace forward eyes FA Cup return

Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta has said he is hoping to return to football in time for next week’s FA Cup clash against Fulham, although he will have to do so with a protective mask.

The striker was on the wrong end of a wildly reckless tackle from Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts in an FA Cup fifth-round clash earlier this month that saw Mateta kicked in the head and needing to be taken to hospital.

In an interview published by L’Equipe on Sunday, Mateta said that most of the damage was to his ear, which he said was “just destroyed,” adding that he was lucky the outcome was not much more severe.

“I was afraid I’d have broken bones or blood in my brain, but in fact, my ear was just destroyed,” Mateta said.

“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.

“After that, I never lost consciousness. I was lying on the ground, and I said to the doctor: ‘I’m fine, I want to play again.’ But he, seeing my ear, replied, ‘No, you have to go.’

“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.

“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.”

Mateta was later discharged from hospital, while Palace went on to earn a 3-1 win over Milwall and offending goalkeeper Roberts was handed a six-game ban.

Palace face Fulham in the FA Cup quarterfinals later this month, with Mateta hoping to return in time.

“I have to be careful to prevent it from getting infected, I have to wash it every time I sweat,” Mateta added.

“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.”