Dominik Szoboszlai has hit out at the lack of haste of medical staff following Hungary team-mate Barnabas Varga’s horrific mid-air collision in his country’s dramatic victory over Scotland at Euro 2024.
Varga was taken to hospital after being seriously hurt in a sickening clash with goalkeeper Angus Gunn during Sunday’s decisive Group A game in Stuttgart.
Varga was caught by Gunn’s elbow and instantly collapsed to the turf, leading to a delay of almost seven minutes, but he is now “stable” in a Stuttgart hospital.
The Ferencvaros forward was confirmed to have suffered several broken facial bones as well as a concussion.
A statement from the Hungarian Football Federation said: “Several bones in Barnabas Varga’s face were broken during the collision during the match, and he also suffered a concussion. Surgery is most likely to be expected. He spends the night in the hospital in Stuttgart. The whole team is rooting for him!”
Hungary’s players immediately called for support for the 29-year-old and many of them were furious at the speed of response by the medical staff at the Stuttgart Arena.
Captain Szoboszlai even grabbed a stretcher from the medics and sprinted to Varga’s side, while substitutes screamed for more urgency. Sheets were held around him while he received lengthy treatment.
“I was one of the first people there,” Szoboszlai told Magenta TV. “I was shocked myself, I tried to put him on his side, which is actually the best thing you can do in situations like this. He couldn’t get enough air.
“I have no idea what the protocol is, whether people are not allowed to run onto the pitch if we need help, but...”
Asked whether he believed the response was fast enough, the 23-year-old continued: “I don’t think so.
“You could see that it’s a huge problem. Everyone was running, I was running – these things add up to seconds.
“It’s not my decision, but we have to change something about it. We have to do it faster, much faster. Everyone knows that seconds add up.”
Hungary manager Marco Rossi said after the match: “What I heard from the players is that he was not conscious. Everybody was really worried about his condition and also worried about the fact that doctors arrived a bit late, we can say. Probably they did not realise it was a dangerous situation.
“Fortunately, now, we can say Barney is not under any kind of risk. Probably he will have an operation because he suffered a fracture.”
In a post on social media shortly after the final whistle, the Hungarian Football Association said that Varga was being treated in hospital.
Hungary player Roland Sallai said: “It was a terrible moment. Terrible to see him like that. Fortunately, he is in a much better condition now. We were fighting for him in the remaining minutes. This win is dedicated to him.
“He will have to go for a minor operation but he’s in a stable condition and we cross our fingers he can return quickly.”
Asked about the clash, Scotland goalkeeper Gunn said: “That was a bit of a blur. I thought I had to come and I thought I had done well. Hopefully the guy is all right, but I can’t really remember too much about that one.”
On the BBC’s television coverage, presenter Gabby Logan said the broadcaster was “shocked” that Uefa had decided to show a replay of the collision.
“We were as shocked as you when they replayed that incident,” Logan said. “There are protocols around this kind of thing after Christian Eriksen [suffered a cardiac arrest] three years ago.
“We were very surprised that Uefa chose to show that replay, which is why we cut away immediately to a wide-angle as soon as we could.”
What happened to Barnabas Varga?Hungary striker Barnabas Varga was carried off the field on a stretcher after a sickening clash with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn, which occurred as both players challenged for an aerial ball in the penalty box.
Varga was caught by Gunn’s elbow and instantly collapsed to the turf, leading to a delay of almost seven minutes, during Sunday night’s final Group A game in Stuttgart.
Hungary’s players immediately called for support for the 29-year-old and many of them were furious at the lack of haste shown by the medical staff at the Stuttgart Arena.
Hungary manager Marco Rossi said after the match that his players said Varga had been knocked unconscious, although Hungarian media reported that he did not lose consciousness at any stage.
Shortly after the final whistle, the Hungarian Football Association said that Varga was being treated in hospital.
Hungary player Roland Sallai then revealed: “Fortunately, he is in a much better condition now... He will have to go for a minor operation but he’s in a stable condition and we cross our fingers he can return quickly.”
