A little-known UEFA rule has stopped Kylian Mbappe protecting his broken nose with a special France-themed mask tonight.
Mbappe will have to wear a mask for the rest of the tournament after suffering a painful injury in France’s opening match but will have to bow to UEFA’s regulations over such equipment.
After going up for a header with Austria defender Kevin Danso, the Frenchman was left severely bloodied when he inadvertently headbutted the defender’s shoulder.
There were fears that Mbappe could miss the entire tournament after it was confirmed that he had broken his nose and was taken to hospital.
However, he has recovered well and will start against Poland in France’s final group game tonight.
He has been seen sporting a mask with the Tricolore colours of the nation’s flag in training recently.
However, UEFA rules stipulate that he will not be able to actually wear the mask during a match as regulations state that medical equipment ‘must be a single colour and free of team and manufacturer identification’.
The full law states: “Medical equipment (e.g.: head protection, face masks, casts, kneepads or knee braces, elbow pads): Medical equipment worn on the field of play must be a single colour and free of team and manufacturer identification.
“Items worn on legs and arms should be the same colour as the corresponding playing attire item (e.g.: elbow pads or tape used on the arm the same colour as shirt sleeves, and kneepads the same colour as shorts).”
Instead, Mbappe will be wearing a plain black face mask.
Didier Deschamps gave an update on his superstar yesterday, saying: “He is doing better today than yesterday and the day before that. That is obvious because he has been training.
“The bruising has come down and he is getting used to the mask. He is as eager to play as he was eager to play against the Netherlands.
“He does not find that the mask limits him but it does restrict his vision a little. He needs to get used to it, even though the technology nowadays allows these masks to be as thin as possible.”
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News Summary:
- Why Kylian Mbappe can’t wear France mask despite broken nose as little-known rule stops him using it against Poland
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