Kylian Mbappé, victim of a broken nose on Monday during France-Austria (1-0), will have to wear a protective mask meeting several specific criteria appearing in the regulations to play the next matches of Euro 2024.
After the mask of Antoine Dupont, that of Kylian Mbappé. The striker of the French football team, victim of a broken nose Monday during France-Austria (1-0), will have to wear facial protection if he plays again in the competition. This is what Antone Dupont, player of the French XV, had to do during the last World Cup even though the rugby player suffered from a maxillo-zygomatic fracture (under the cheekbone) and had been operated on during the competition. Which is not the case, for the moment, with Mbappé. They are not the same sports, nor quite the same regulations.
“In soft, light and padded materials”
When the staff of the French XV had to wait for a waiver from World Rugby after studying the mask materials proposed, that of the Blues football team should not encounter the same administrative burdens. The IFAB, which lays down the laws of the game, refers to it in its article 4.4 on authorized equipment.
“Non-hazardous protection, such as gloves, helmets, face masks, knee and elbow pads made of soft, lightweight and padded materials are permitted, as are goalkeeper caps and sports glasses,” says the text, which however remains quite vague.
Victor Osimhen, victim of around twenty facial fractures after a violent air collision with Milan Skriniar in 2021, wore protection for several years, protecting his cheekbones and orbital areas more than his nose.
Several models of protective face masks are on sale commercially. For Kylian Mbappé, it will probably be tailor-made, as the French Football Federation (FFF) suggested in its press release on the night of Monday to Tuesday. “A mask will be made in such a way as to allow number 10 of the French team to consider resuming competition after a period devoted to treatment,” indicates the text.
Several questions now remain unanswered: when will Mbappé debut this mask in competition? Will this affect his vision of the game? The equipment will protect him from possible impacts – although less frequent in this area than in rugby -, but will not reduce the discomfort of his injury. “If he plays again, it will be with a mask but that’s not really the problem,” confides Michel Cymes, ENT surgeon to RMC Sport. “The problem is mainly breathing because there will be swelling inside the nose.”
