Malick Fofana’s Condition Raises Serious Concerns for OL

On Sunday night, Ismaël Doukouré played a significant role in the match between Olympique Lyonnais and Strasbourg at the Groupama Stadium. In the 31st minute, he accidentally scored an own goal, allowing Lyon to equalize, following an excellent effort by Malick Fofana. In the second half, the Belgian found himself once again in a confrontation with the Alsatian player, who tackled him from behind and brought him down in the 65th minute. Initially, the referee, Mr. Wattellier, issued a yellow card, which sparked outrage from the crowd and the Lyon bench.

A Concern for OL

After consulting the video assistant referee, the referee changed his decision and issued a red card to Doukouré, expelling him from the match. Meanwhile, Fofana received medical attention and was carried off the field on a stretcher, as the home crowd applauded and supported him. He was replaced by Afonso Moreira, who scored the winning goal, resulting in a 2-1 victory. However, the win was bittersweet due to Fofana’s injury, which required him to be taken to the hospital. Post-match, Jorge Maciel confirmed this and addressed some concerns on Ligue 1 +.

“He is at the hospital undergoing scans. We are not sure yet, the images are not reassuring but we have to wait. It’s important that we put a stop to tackles like this that serve no purpose. Whether it’s a teammate or a fellow professional… respect for the game is crucial. I understand the Strasbourg bench’s reaction, but I don’t understand why they spend more time talking to the referees and smiling toward our bench instead of focusing on what really matters.” Corentin Tolisso also responded to the serious situation. “There’s this dark point with Malick’s injury. We know how important he is for us. We have to trust the medical team to help him recover.”

Examinations on Sunday Night

He added: “We’ll see what the situation is in the next few hours, but I hope it’s not too serious and that he returns quickly.” Moussa Niakhaté shared similar sentiments: “I’ll personally send him a message. I have no updates. I haven’t seen the footage. I heard he went to the hospital. I just hope it’s nothing major because we need him, especially for his season… I know he’s not a cheat, so seeing him on a stretcher means it’s serious. But I have no further information.” The Lyon defender was then asked about the frequent fouls experienced by the Belgian this season.

“I can’t answer that. Malick is a good player, so he attracts defenders, and there are a lot of duels. But opponents don’t intentionally try to injure him. They play football and try to stop him. These unfortunate events happen. I know Isma (Doukouré) well. He didn’t do it on purpose. It’s unfortunate, but it happens, and we should not blame Isma.” In a press conference, Paulo Fonseca explained that Fofana injured his ankle, with RMC Sport mentioning a possible sprain. However, they will also need to assess his knee, which appeared to have been affected in the video of the tackle. OL should have more information by tomorrow. Meanwhile, everyone is hoping Fofana’s injury is not too severe.