Confirmation has come that Djibril Cisse did indeed break his leg against China last night. For anyone who saw the incident there was no doubt anyway, but the actual diagnosis is that he has fractured his right fibula and shinbone.
According to the French coach the injury has left a cloud over the squad as they try to prepare for the World Cup. Raymond Domenech said “It’s a vicious blow to all of us. Everything was going so well. All the players are depressed. Even during the game you could see it. They just lost interest in the game.” Domenech is inevitably being asked who he will bring in to replace Cisse, but is understandably more concerned about the health of Djibs: “The rule is that we can replace an injured player until a day before the first match. For the moment I have other worries. Then we’ll think about it and talk about it between us. Djibril’s injury is the only thing that’s worrying us right now. It’s a drama.”
Arsenal and France captain Thierry Henry was also distraught: “I was just beside him when he fell and I heard him yell. Losing a team-mate and a friend like that just before a World Cup, it’s really tough.”
The player who Cisse was battling for the ball with was China’s Zheng Zhi. He also seemed to be shaken by the incident, saying: “I was taking advantage of my position and engaged with him bodily but I didn’t expect Cisse to be injured after he fell to the ground. Football matches are just like this. Every professional player could be injured on the pitch.”
Cisse is expected to be out of the game for around six months if similar injuries are anything to go by, but remember, this is Djibril Cisse. He returned much sooner than expected from his last broken leg, which was on the other leg.