The manager and captain of Hungary’s national football team have accused emergency responders of being slow to react to an incident involving Hungarian striker Barnabas Varga, who was knocked unconscious during Monday’s Euro 2024 fixture with Scotland.
Varga was involved in a collision with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn mid-way through the second half of the must-win group match which saw the elbow of Varga’s opponent make contact with his face at speed, resulting in him falling to the ground in an unnatural manner and requiring immediate treatment.
The severity of the injury was clear to those on the pitch, with Hungarian captain Dominik Szoboszlai visibly upset and footballers creating a makeshift cordon around the player to shield him from the television cameras.
After the game, Szoboszlai spoke to German media and claimed the emergency responders were too slow off the mark and had not clocked how serious the injury was at the time.
“I was one of the first to get there. I was very shocked and tried to lay him on his side. He wanted to try to stand up. But he couldn’t get enough air. We told him to stay lying down,” the Liverpool midfielder said.
On whether or not the speed of the emergency services was sufficient, Szoboszlai replied, “I’m not in a position to decide that, but that wasn’t good. We have to do it faster, much faster. Every second counts.”
“I have no idea what the protocol is, whether people are not allowed to run onto the pitch if we need help. We have to change that,” he added.
Hungarian national team coach Marco Rossi also questioned the protocol in the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Hírlap.
“The collision was a confusing situation, and the video referee investigated the incident. He didn’t seem to be conscious, we were very worried about him because the doctors went to the field very slowly, as if they were not aware of the danger and severity of the injury,” he said.
Hungarian medic Dr. Gregely Pánics confirmed that Varga suffered “multiple facial skull fractures” and had been taken to a clinic in Stuttgart for several operations on his face.
“After the operation, he will be kept in (the hospital) for two days, and if everything goes well, he will be released on Wednesday,” he added.
Pánics refused to comment on the stadium personnel’s emergency response. “As for the German protocol and first aid, I don’t want to comment on it, but I can say that I had the opportunity to visit Barna in the hospital and I found that he is in expert hands and is receiving a lot of attention,” said the specialist.
Hungary went on to win the final group game of the tournament with almost the last kick of the game as Kevin Csoboth netted to keep the nation’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage alive.
