Meet The Striker Who Saves Players? Lives On The Pitch Part - I

Posted by betensured02 on December 22nd, 2017

High on a shelf in an unassuming living room on the outskirts of the Czech city Brno sits a trophy with the words ‘THE BEST – FIFA’ on it.

It’s a modest place for such a prestigious award yet its equally-humble owner hopes its symbolism can change one of football’s – and society’s – greatest scourges.

Francis Kone was awarded the Fifa prize last month after the Togo international, then playing for Slovacko FC, saved the life of Bohemians’ Martin Berkovec while playing a Czech league game in February.

He did so by reacting quickest after the Bohemians goalkeeper was knocked out by one of his own players – putting his fingers inside Berkovec’s mouth to stop him from swallowing his tongue.

The act has become something of a speciality for Kone, who has saved four players this way but the presence of TV cameras on this occasion meant he has since shot to global fame.

Nonetheless, he still didn’t expect to receive the annual Fifa Fair Play Award, his name glittering brightly alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gianluigi Buffon and Zinedine Zidane during October’s ceremony in London.

“I was very surprised. It was like a dream,” said the Ivorian-born Kone, who has won two caps for Togo because of his mother’s nationality.

Over the shock, the 26-year-old now believes the award can help combat the scourge of racism – the striker suffered racial abuse from some Bohemian fans during the opening 30 minutes of February’s match in Prague.

“It is a message. Fair play means something like this too – to stop racism, this is fair play,” he said.

“I know what they said because they called my club to apologise. They said thanks because I saved one of their players. They apologised because they were saying bad things, like monkey and many other things.

“It’s not normal to treat a person as like a monkey – it’s incorrect. Football is fair play and I showed them that. Football is not what they are doing with racism. They have to stop it – for me, that’s the message.”

Some people believe that to become the best player in the world Harry Kane will have to leave Tottenham Hotspur. However the striker didn’t do too badly in the voting without the need to leave.

There really can’t be many, if any, better strikers in the world right now than Harry Kane. The Spurs striker has 13 goals in his last nine appearances for his club side since August ended- also scoring four for England since his barren month.

At this point in his career people are starting to think the 24 year-old can beat Alan Shearer’s Premier League record. However there is also a belief that to win titles and be recognised in the highest echelons of the game he’ll have to leave north London.