Denise O’Sullivan’s World Cup participation has been thrown into doubt following a tackle in Friday’s abandoned friendly between Ireland and Colombia. Colombian media has released footage of the incident, clearly showing the challenge on O’Sullivan and the reactions of her teammates. O’Sullivan was taken to the hospital and scans revealed bruising but no break to her shinbone. The release of the footage has sparked fury among Colombian social media users. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and the Colombian Football Association have been contacted for further footage but have not yet provided any.
Despite the injury to O’Sullivan, Ireland manager Vera Pauw has no regrets about inviting Colombia to the friendly match. The game had to be abandoned after the incident, but Pauw stands by her decision to play the match. The Irish team will assess O’Sullivan’s fitness tomorrow to determine if she can start in Thursday’s Group B opener against Australia. Pauw was shocked by Colombia’s aggressive approach during the game and felt she had no choice but to remove her players for their own safety. However, she remains confident in her decision to play the match, stating that the challenge on O’Sullivan was not typical of Colombia’s previous games.