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26. 03. 09. - 12:30

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26. 03. 09. - 12:30

All respect to Janko for not following national team call-up!

Comment by Thomas Hochwarter

"I don’t want to be the next player who dies on the pitch."

It is unlikely that super-striker Marc Janko won any new fans with that controversial statement made on Monday.

The Red Bull Salzburg ace used such dramatic words to justify his decision not to accept his call-up by national team coach Dietmar Constantini.

"I suffered a wave of giddiness on the way back to Salzburg (from Vienna after Sunday’s match). I feel I need to rest my overstrained body. I don’t think I am fit for the national team. I recently ignored a flu. I later realised what a big mistake that was. I was too ambitious," Janko added.

Initially, it seemed like a bad joke to me, having in mind that Janko played for his club less than 24 hours earlier – and scored Red Bulls’ only goal in a dull 1-1 draw with Austria Vienna. And I was certainly not the only one with that impression. But his statement is extraordinary for several reasons.

On the one hand, it is a remarkably courageous step, having in mind that an "only for real men" attitude normally dominates the sport. Weakness is rarely admitted in such a blunt way.

On the other hand, Janko provided the boulevard media with more than enough material by expressing his very personal estimation. Considering the papers’ power, that could backfire on the 25-year-old, who, despite his remarkable goal-scoring record in the league (33 goals so far this season), has never been a favourite of the masses.

Janko has never had his head in the clouds, knowing from personal experience that there are always two sides of the coin. Being praised as one of the country’s most promising young strikers for years, he has played only eight times for Austria so far due to an extraordinary series of injuries. More than just once, Janko has been confronted with the possibility of an early end to his career as a professional footballer.

Speaking out about his grounds is not just remarkable but is also very reasonable as the increasing number of players dying after collapsing on the pitch over the past few years has shown. Forensic examinations in some cases have shown that the reason for the athletes’ deaths were heart attacks due to permanent heart failure – caused by ignoring a flu.

Austrian Times

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