Croatia captain Niko Kovac has blasted Martin Taylor for the "brutality" of the horror tackle that left Eduardo da Silva with a broken leg.Arsenal's Brazil-born Croatia forward underwent surgery on a double compound fracture of his left leg, brought about by a sickening challenge from Birmingham defender Taylor in Saturday's Premier League match at St Andrews.
The Gunners are set to provide an update on Eduardo's condition tomorrow but he will definitely miss this summer's European Championships and there are genuine fears his career could be threatened.
Kovac was scathing about Taylor, saying: "I can't believe this happened. Also, I can't believe such brutality still exists in football.
"I don't even want to speculate about the time of his (Eduardo's) absence. Let's wait for the doctors to give their opinion."
Taylor was rightly sent off for his third-minute challenge, which initially saw furious Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger call for Taylor to be banned for life.
Wenger last night issued a statement retracting those comments, while Taylor insisted there was no malicious intent behind the tackle.
The Blues defender was said to be "distraught" over the incident, and those sentiments have been mirrored in Eduardo's adopted country as Croatia face up to being without their star striker at Euro 2008.
Croatia manager Slaven Bilic said: "This is horrible. The fact he won't play at the Euros is less important - most important is that he recovers as soon as possible and resumes his footballing career.
"He is a great guy. Of course I will visit him very soon, trying to cheer him up."
Midfielders Ognjen Vukojevic and Luka Modric were devastated.
Vukojevic said: "This is the saddest day of my life."
Modric added: "I feel awful about Eduardo - his injury made an impact on all of us."
Croatian team doctor Zoran Bahtijarevic said: "Obviously, Eduardo won't be able to join us at the Euros, but that's least important now. As a great friend and sportsman, he will be missed until his return."
More Football News from TEAMtalk
