LondoncTypeface:> Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish branded the challenge on Jean-Philippe Mateta that got Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts sent off in their fifth-round FA Cup clash “the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I’ve ever seen”. The incident occurred early in the first half of Palace’s 3-1 victory at Selhurst Park when Roberts was rushing, leg extended, to meet a through ball and kicked the Palace striker in the head. Mateta was taken off the pitch on a stretcher after a lengthy pause, while some Millwall fans could be heard chanting “let him die”.Parish told the BBC: “So far what we know is he’s got a bad gash behind his ear and a head injury, obviously he’s at the hospital, so we hope for the best. There’s a lot of emotion in football but we need to talk about that challenge. “In all the time I’ve watched football I haven’t ever seen a challenge like it. I looked to see how old the keeper was, he’s 30 years old. I mean that is the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I’ve ever seen.” (PA Media/dpa)
