Son Heung-min was forced off with an eye injury in Tottenham’s Champions League clash with Marseille (Reuters)
Jamie Carragher has branded the timing of the World Cup ‘an absolute disgrace’ as Tottenham forward Son Heung-min became the latest player who could miss the tournament due to injury.
South Korea’s captain was forced off in the first half of Spurs’ 2-1 victory over Marseille in the Champions League on Tuesday evening following a nasty head collision.
Son was seen with a swollen eye during Tottenham’s post-match celebrations and the 30-year-old has less than a month to recover as South Korea’s opening Group H fixture is against Uruguay on November 24.
France’s Raphael Varane is also in danger of missing the tournament after suffering a hamstring problem with Manchester United last month, while Liverpool’s Diogo Jota is already ruled out of Portugal’s World Cup campaign with a calf injury.
And Carragher has slammed FIFA’s decision to alter the timing of the World Cup from summer to winter in order to accommodate tournament hosts Qatar.
‘I think it’s an absolute disgrace that the World Cup is in the position that its in, for lots of reasons,’ Carragher told CBS Sports.
Son Heung-min’s eye immediately swelled after the collision (EPA)
It was corrupt that Qatar were given the World Cup, we knew that at the time. They campaigned on having it in the summer, it is impossible there to have a World Cup in the summer with the temperature, it gets moves to the situation where it is now in the middle of the season.
Players who spend their whole lives dreaming of playing in a World Cup and now could be [out] – as we’ve seen with Son, players all around the world, [Raphael] Varane was crying coming off the pitch at Stamford Bridge. That’s how close we are to a World Cup.
An injury, a 10-day or a two-week injury, is going to keep players out of a World Cup and it should not be happening.
And it all started with FIFA giving Qatar the World Cup and then moving it. I think it’s absolutely disgusting.
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When asked about Son’s injury after Tottenham’s win over Marseille, Spurs’ assistant Cristian Stellini said: ‘In this moment, we don’t know.
‘We have to wait for a medical assessment, and we have to wait until tomorrow. Sonny feels better now. I saw him in the dressing room. He celebrated with us. So we will wait for tomorrow.
‘It is his face. His eye is a bit swollen.’
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Son becomes the latest Premier League star who could miss the winter World Cup due to injury.
