Medics rushed to aid an injured cameraman who was involved in a clash with Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov during the World Cup match between Colombia and Uzbekistan. The incident occurred live on air in the 34th minute.
Khusanov was chasing a ball alongside former Liverpool forward Luis Diaz. The defender was second to the ball, resulting in a collision between the two players that sent Khusanov crashing into the unsuspecting cameraman.
The City defender quickly got to his feet and was shown a yellow card for the challenge. However, the cameraman remained on the ground, appearing to hold his leg as help arrived.
Medics quickly rushed over to assist. Although no update has been given on the severity of the injury, commentator Jacqui Oatley, working for American broadcaster FOX Sports, provided an update in the second half: “In case you’re wondering about the cameraman, he’s disappeared. He must’ve really hurt his ankle.”
The incident occurred just minutes before Colombia took the lead, with Daniel Munoz opening the scoring in the 40th minute. Uzbekistan equalised in the second half through Abbosbek Fayzullaev. However, the score was level for only five minutes before Luis Diaz restored Colombia’s lead. Jaminton Campaz then secured the three points for Colombia in the ninth minute of added time.
The result puts Colombia top of Group K, following the 1-1 draw between Portugal and DR Congo earlier in the day. The next matches in the group are Portugal vs Uzbekistan (June 23, 6pm) and Colombia vs DR Congo (June 24, 3am).
The incident with the cameraman was not the only injury. Oatley shared that co-commentator Warren Barton was left with a cut on his head after being hit by a flying bottle during the game. It has been confirmed that the former England international is okay.
