Canada midfielder Ismael Kone has thanked his team-mates and fans for their support after undergoing surgery on a broken leg sustained during his side's 6-0 win over Qatar – a moment so gruesome that the BBC removed the audio from its highlights.
The 24-year-old was caught late and badly by Qatar's Assim Madibo as he challenged for possession, with players on both sides looking shocked as Kone received lengthy treatment. The former Watford and current Sassuolo midfielder was able to wave to the crowd as he left the pitch on a stretcher.
“Ismael Kone breaks leg in Canada's 6-0 win; BBC edits audio from highlights due to injury's severity.”
Canada Soccer confirmed Kone will miss the rest of the World Cup but is expected to make a full recovery.
The BBC, which posted highlights of the match on iPlayer, initially included audio of the incident. After criticism, a spokesperson said: 'We edited the audio on iPlayer from the Canada vs Qatar World Cup game highlights programme due to the sensitivities around the injury to Ismael Kone. We took all the appropriate measures and did not broadcast any replays of the tackle or shots of the player in distress. We wish him a speedy recovery.'
Canada manager Jesse Marsch, visibly shaken during his post-match press conference, described the moment: 'It happened right in front of the bench, we could all hear it. I knew right away, it was similar to when Tajon (Buchanan) got hurt in training, it was right in front of us and everyone could hear the bone snap.'
Marsch added: 'Your heart goes out to him and everybody's a little shaken by the whole experience, because of the nature of the injury and also because Ismael is a big part of the heart of our team. It will be a big loss for us.'
Despite the pain, Kone managed to reassure those around him. 'He was waving to the crowd and almost making everybody else feel at ease with the fact that he's injured. It's an incredible statement about Ismael as a person,' Marsch said.
Kone later posted on Instagram: 'Your love and support has been felt, honestly thank you so much. You can't even imagine how grateful I am to everyone who reached out and that has me in their prayers.' He added: 'I wanted you to know that I love you guys from the bottom of my heart and our brotherhood is everything to me. What you guys did yesterday will stay with me forever. I'll be back very soon and we'll keep making more memories together.'
In a separate social media message, Kone wrote: 'ALLAH has never failed me. Throughout my life, not even once. So why doubt him now? Especially knowing that. He knows and sees everything before it even happened. He has a plan and a vision for all of us. This battle is test to my faith in him and to my character. And honestly I'm ready for it because, ALLAH will never give you a challenge that you can…'
Canada's final Group B match is against Switzerland on 24 June (20:00 BST).