The Concerning Absence of Eric Traore and the Importance of Psychological Support for Football Players

Egyptian reports indicated that the management of Enppi Club contacted the player’s wife and his friends, but they told the club that they knew nothing about him, and did not inform the security authorities of any details about him, so that the player returned after the interruption period and informed his club management that he needed to isolate during that period.

According to Egyptian reports, the player suffered from psychological pressure that led him to leave the stadium before the final whistle of his team’s match, Enppi, against Aswan, in the Egyptian League, which was held on April 18, when the player was on the bench.

Davis is famous, but a failure
Traore’s incident is not the first for a football player who has been subjected to psychological pressure, as he was preceded by Canadian Alfonso Davies, Bayern Munich player, who lost his game, after his exceptional start with the team and the sweep of European teams on the way to the Bavarian team to crown the European Champions League for the sixth time in its history.

Davies cried in a television interview last March, saying: “I am famous, but I am a loser… I have no family, and my girlfriend does not live with me, and I only have five friends.”

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The English Professional Players Association, which is the oldest sports union, published a report on the causes of players’ anxiety and depression, most notably the transition to a new experience, the difficulties of adapting to colleagues and the new coach, and the extent to which the player achieved success and maintained his basic position.

The association called on any player who feels insomnia, lost the ability to focus, or is exposed to any panic attacks or phobias, to contact the association immediately.

The association’s report stated that the short contracts for players lead to the player living for long periods under great pressure, especially with the frequent movement and the emergence of new, younger players who can basically reserve the playing place, which increases the state of tension among the players. Of course, the crowd pressure was one of the reasons for the players’ nervousness, as the players worry about the reaction of the fans and sports pundits in the media.

The legend of Italy refuses football
These psychological crises are not only related to the players of the current generation, but also experienced by old players, most notably the Italian star Roberto Baggio.

Baggio stayed out of the limelight after retiring, but he mentioned in a unique interview 4 years ago with the Italian newspaper “Robobblica” that he is happy now away from football, communicating with nature and doing things that enhance his psychological comfort.

Baggio stated that he does not follow football after retiring, and he refused offers from several sports channels to appear as an analyst for the matches, stating: “Former colleagues provide lessons to others, but they were not able to implement a single successful dribble in their career.”

In his dialogue, Baggio did not hide his request from his mother to kill him to end his suffering from injuries, as well as the disturbances he is exposed to daily before going to sleep, because of the penalty he missed in the 1994 World Cup final, to crown the Brazilian team with the title at the time.

The suffering of the England star
Paul Gascoigne, the English football star in the eighties and nineties, suffered from depression and alcoholism, after his retirement, to be arrested on more than one occasion.

The English star, nicknamed “The Tank” due to his physical strength, was forced to leave his home due to complaints from neighbors, and he attempted suicide in 2007 after he was separated from his wife and children due to their mistreatment, so that his colleagues tried to help him recover.

Stars who ended their lives with their own hands
The list of soccer players witnessed stars who ended their lives with their own hands, most notably German goalkeeper Robert Enke, who took his life in 2009.

Anke’s depression began in 2002 when he was a goalkeeper for Barcelona, ​​and his team bid farewell to the Cup championship, only to be subjected to a major attack, after which he lost his daughter, so that depression began to control him until he ended his life.

The last visit to Egypt
The list also included Welsh star Gary Speed, the Leeds, Everton and Newcastle player, who committed suicide in 2011, after spending his last vacation with his wife in Egypt, before deciding to end his life.

The trick of the psychologist to support the players
Dr. Walid Gabr, Professor of Sports Psychology at the Faculty of Physical Education in Egypt, distinguishes between a sports psychologist, who is present with teams and players to rehabilitate them psychologically and adapt to the surrounding environment, and a psychiatrist who deals with therapeutic methods if necessary, in the event of a decline in the psychological state of the player, which requires Therapeutic intervention, such as cases that have led to suicide or players’ addiction.

Jabr, who had experience with the Saudi Al-Ahly Jeddah team, mentioned that one of the most prominent periods in which players go through psychological crises is the period of injury, especially the long-term ones.

He explained, in statements to Sky News Arabia, that the player must be involved in lectures and training, to be in solidarity with the team, which is the crisis that Roberto Baggio, the Italian star, was exposed to.

And he recounted: “Fear of recurrence of injury is one of the crises facing players, and therefore he must maintain his weight and work according to a healthy system.” He cited the example of tennis star Rafael Nadal, who suffered severe injuries during his career, but remained the first in the world and crowned many championships due to the interest of tennis players. With psychological rehabilitation.

And about the crisis of Davis, the star of Bayern Munich, the professor of sports medicine talked about the crises of adapting to the surrounding environment, as evidenced by his experience with the people of Jeddah: “Foreign players are placed in an atmosphere similar to the environment in which they grew up, by living in a compound in which a large number of foreigners are present so that they do not feeling alone”.

As for public pressure, due to the popularity of football, Jabr explained that the trick he resorts to is to distract the player from it, and focus on the tactical and skillful aspect in order to implement it in the best way, saying: “Pressure and psychological burnout may end the player’s career early.”