Peruvian soccer forward Jefferson Farfan suffered what’s been described as a “traumatic brain injury” and has been written out of his team’s final World Cup group match Tuesday against Australia.
A training accident in which he collided with a team goalkeeper left Farfan temporarily paralyzed and unconscious for "a couple of minutes," the BBC reported.
“When I saw him I thought the worst,” Peru defender Anderson Santamaria told reporters, according to USA Today. “We were very shocked by what happened with Jefferson because he could not move his arms or legs, he had white eyes. It scared us a lot.”
Although test results since the injury have been favorable, Farfan is expected to remain in the hospital under observation.
"It was a scare but he is doing well," said coach Ricardo Gareca, the BBC reported. “The most important thing is he is recovering.”
He added that continued hospitalization is standard operating procedure in these types of cases.
"There are some protocols in terms of recovery of a player so that means it is mandatory for a player to remain in hospital for 72 hours until he is stabilized,” Gareca said, the BBC reported. "He could be released from hospital but we understand the healthcare of the players is priority."
Farfan’s teammates rallied behind him.
"He is a great loss for us," said striker Paolo Guerrero, according to the BBC. "We hope to have him back very soon because he is the spark of this team so we hope for a prompt recovery."
The injured forward rallied enough to post a message on social media.
“I was dying to be with my colleagues this last game,” he wrote on Instagram. “But for medical reasons it is impossible.”
Fans offered their thoughts and prayers on Twitter.
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