A footballer was warned he risked losing his eye after being ‘headbutted’ by a rival player during an amateur clash.
George Robinson was rushed to the Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert after being injured during a Caledonian League clash with East Kilbride YM on February 5.
An artery above the Stenhousemuir FC midfielder’s eye had burst as a result of the head clash - leaving him with major swelling around the socket.
Doctors were forced to drain two syringes filled with blood from the wound while also slicing his eye with a scalpel to relieve the pressure.
The 32-year-old is unable to play football for at least three weeks as he recovers from his injuries, but he’s thankfully regained vision in his eye.
The footballer, from Dunipace, near Falkirk, said: “I’m not the type of person that’s a moaner.
“See if somebody had tackled me with the world’s worst tackle and they broke my leg, I wouldn’t care. It’s football, it can happen.
“Even with this, if the referee had seen it and it was a red card with a year or two year ban, I wouldn’t have phoned the police.
“But to think that absolutely nothing is happening - I just can’t get my head around it. It’s a disgrace.
A video clip of the incident shows George going in to tackle an East Kilbride player.
The rival striker then appears to lunge towards the Stenhousemuir player, striking him on the head before appearing to elbow him to the ground.
Speaking of his injuries, George explained: “Some days I feel just totally normal and then others I feel so lethargic with a really sore head.
“My eye just feels so heavy. I can see out of it but I have to try and physically hold it open. You can imagine how annoying that is.
“I was at the Forth Valley Hospital for about seven hours. I was heavily concussed. There was a massive queue but I couldn’t remember my date of birth or address so they rushed me straight through for a CT scan.
“I think I’ve been unlucky because he must’ve just hit my eye socket bone and hit right on the artery, bursting it. They said it would have almost been better if it had broken something because bursting the artery caused serious scares.
“There was a point where they thought they were going to have to remove my eye. They had to bring in a specialist.
“I had two syringes worth of blood taken out and the specialist had to slit my eye with a scalpel to let the pressure out.
“It was still massive after that but they couldn’t let me go home with the size it was. You just don’t realise how many times a day you touch your eyes until you can’t.
“Because of the concussion, I’m not allowed to play football for at least three weeks. But I won’t be playing until my eye has gone down because I worry that it could make me a target.”
George was also forced to take time off from his job as a technical supervisor at a shopping centre as a result of his injury.
He added: “I had two days off and then I was on restricted duties. It’s also a self-confidence thing. It's a very public-facing role.
“Everywhere you go, you can see people taking a double take. It just makes you feel horrible.
“My club has been amazing though. They couldn’t be more supportive. They’ve sent letters to the SFA saying how they cannot believe that nothing is going to happen.”
National Secretary for the Scottish Amateur FA, Thomas McKeown, confirmed the incident is currently “subject to the Disciplinary Procedures of the Scottish Amateur FA and our member Leagues and Associations”.
East Kilbride YM boss Graeme Robertson said: “This is subject to an investigation so we can’t really comment.
“We’re glad that George is recovering and there’s not going to be any long-term injuries.
“Also our player, who had to attend at accident and emergency with concussion, appears to have no long-term injuries as well. We hope both players recover fully.”
The Scottish Amateur Football Association and Police Scotland have been contacted for comment.
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