One of the stars of the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be on the shelf for the next two months due to on-going hamstring problems.
Netherlands and Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben will be out eight weeks with a hamstring tear. His club has lashed out at the Dutch football federation (KNVB) for rushing Robben to return to game action at South Africa 2010.
“It is a clear tear,” Bayern club doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt said. “I find it irresponsible that this was not diagnosed accurately and that Arjen has played with it. I offered several times to help with the diagnosis but was not called.”
Robben battled hamstring problems leading up to the World Cup, as he missed out on the Netherlands first two matches. But he made his return in the final group stage match, hitting the post in a 2-1 victory over Cameroon.
Robben featured the rest of the tournament, scoring twice, but missing out on a couple of glorious chances in the Netherlands World Cup Final loss to Spain (0-1 ET).
His injury and recovery was definitely one of the key stories heading into South Africa 2010. Marc Rizzardo of Metrotown Orthopedic and Sports Physiotherapy talked to Full Time Soccer about Robben and the recovery process a number of times prior to and during the World Cup.
Bayern Munich claim that tests conducted Tuesday found a tear in the hamstring that was not properly diagnosed earlier.
With the injury ruling Robben out of the start of the German Bundesliga season and the opening Champions League matches, Bayern will now seek compensation from the KNVB.
“This diagnosis after my return to Bayern is a shock,” Robben said. “I am very disappointed. The enforced break is bitter for me and the team.”
“Of course, Bayern Munich are very angry,” chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said. “Once again we must pay the bill as a club after a player is seriously injured playing for a national team.”
Scenarios like this only continue to dampen the relationship between club and country. Many teams don’t look forward to letting their star players travel the globe and risk injury while on duty for their national squads.
But due to the demands of players who want to excel at the international level, along with some national team staff who look to push their players to the extreme, stars like Robben and Spanish forward Fernando Torres are crushing the hopes of their club teams, who of course pay the players’ wages.
Photo: Getty Images
