Football injury NI boy on mend in Spain
A YOUNG Lurgan footballer who was seriously injured during an international tournament in Spain is now recovering in hospital.
Shea Murphy, an under-12 player with Lurgan Town Football Club, was taking part in the Barcelona Cup when hurt.
It’s understood that he was trying to save a goal-bound effort when he accidentally clashed with a player from FC Mougins of France.
Shea, a pupil at St Francis’ Primary School, remains in intensive care in a hospital in the Catalonian capital, with parents Tuda and Nadine by his bedside.
Speaking from his hospital bed, the 11-year-old said: “I would rather it happen to me than my other team-mates.”
His dad, who had been watching the match from the sidelines, said that the Spanish equivalent of the St John Ambulance was quickly on hand.
“He was in nets. I thought he was just winded but he went down,” Tuda told the Lurgan Mail.
“They got him to hospital in Salou straight away. After Shea had a scan, medics sent him to one of the top children’s hospitals in Barcelona.”
Tuda added that his son had suffered a torn kidney in the clash.
“The bleeding has stopped. He is coming round,” he explained.
“He should be here another couple of weeks but he won’t be able to play football for another two months,” added Tuda, a former international footballer for the Cayman Islands.
Mum Nadine flew out to Spain on Monday.
His father said that the youngster was disappointed that he will not be able to take part in the NIBFA Cup Final.
But he added: “The hospital has been brilliant with his treatment.”