Barnabas Varga has been visited in hospital by the Hungary manager and staff, with the first pictures now emerging of the player who suffered serious facial injuries against Scotland.
Varga was taken to hospital during Hungary’s 1-0 win on Sunday night after a sickening collision with Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn left him with facial fractures.
The match was paused for almost seven minutes as a result of the clash, which has led to accusations from Hungary that medical staff did not move with enough urgency on the night.
Varga has now been visited in Stuttgart by Marco Rossi, the Hungary coach, and members of the national team’s backroom staff. Endre Botka, the Hungary defender, also attended on behalf of the players.
The collision with Gunn’s elbow, as both players challenged for an aerial ball, left Varga with concussion and several broken bones in his face.
Hungary’s players were furious during the game that medical staff had not reacted more quickly to the injury, with captain Dominik Szoboszlai eventually snatching the stretcher off medics and racing to Varga’s side.
“I was one of the first people there,” Szoboszlai told Magenta TV afterwards. “I was shocked myself, I tried to put him on his side, which is actually the best thing you can do in situations like this. He couldn’t get enough air.
“I have no idea what the protocol is, whether people are not allowed to run onto the pitch if we need help, but… You could see that it’s a huge problem. Everyone was running, I was running – these things add up to seconds.
“It’s not my decision, but we have to change something about it. We have to do it faster, much faster. Everyone knows that seconds add up.”