Skjelbred out until March
By Endre Bakken, 24 November 2005, 11:16
Per Ciljan Skjelbred was supposed to get his debut for the national team in January, but after Ieroklis Stoltidis' brutal tackle, the RBK talent will probably not be back on the pitch until the league begins.
IN COLD BLOOD? Per was not in a dangerous position and close to the sideline when he was tackled.
Photo: TV3
6.19 minutes into the match, the Greek International decided to stop "Little-Per" from playing the rest of the match. Rosenborg's young and promising midfield maestro had just put an end to one of Olympiakos' attacks and was on his way forward on the pitch when he passed the ball to Roar Strand. After having gotten the ball back he was tackled by Stoltidis and flew over the sideline.
The tackle was completely unnecessary and disgraceful. Everybody in the vicinity heard the 18-year old's right shinbone snap.
"We immediately saw that it was grave. We heard the collision from the bench," a shook up Per-Mathias Høgmo said after the game.
Referee Paul Allaerts from Belgium ment that Stoltidis only deserved a yellow card, something the RBK coaches found hard to understand.
"It is one of the most brutal things I have ever seen. The red card should have been given! I was right there, where it all happened, and the player was consciously trying to hurt Per," assistant coach Bjørn Hansen said.
Roar Strand backs him up:
"It was incredibly savage. It looks like he had decided to put Per on the sideline and that he acted in cold blood. If that was the case, the red card should have been given. I tried to tell the referee, but he would not listen to me," the RBK captain, who had to leave the pitch himself after a leg injury, told the reporters.
Trond Sollied did not agree:
"That tackle deserved a yellow card. I cannot imagine that he was intentionally trying to hurt Skjelbred. It is impossible to aim and hit like that. Everybody who has played soccer knows that," the Olympiakos coach said, at the same time insisting that his player went after the ball.
Jan Gunnar Solli was being rather diplomatic:
"The Greek gave all he had. It was brutal and unnecessary. But at the same time it is hard for me to see if it was done on purpose - let us hope that it was not."
After the assault, Per Ciljan Skjelbred was carried into the RBK wardrobe where he recieved painkillers. 30 minutes later he was taken to the St. Olav's Hospital by ambulance. Fractures on both fibula and the shinbone have been confirmed by the doctors. Per will most likely recieve surgery today. He will not be able to play football again until the beginning of March.
