BERLIN, 25 Nov. (dpa/EP) –
The German exporter Toni Schumacher has confessed that he had to deal with mental health problems after the hard challenge he made to Patrick Battiston during the semifinals of the 1982 World Cup in Spain between Germany and France.
Battiston had to be taken unconscious from the field of play after colliding with the goalkeeper, who did not measure well on his way out and hit the French player directly, although he was not sent off for that action nor was a penalty awarded. Battiston lost three teeth and suffered a minor fracture to his cervical spine.
Now, Schumacher, in a documentary on his country’s television ‘ZDF’, acknowledges that he went through “depression” after that and that he identified his problem with “grey wolves”. “I called them that because that’s a better image. I was often sad, I would withdraw, then you go dark and don’t let the joy get to you,” he admitted.
“The gray wolves surrounded me, but they couldn’t bite me because in the end I managed to control everything in my mind. I didn’t allow myself to fall into that darkness or let it get to me or overwhelm me. I’m glad I handled it the way I did and that my children helped me.” make sure he didn’t do anything stupid,” added the exporter.
He also indicated that he apologized to Battiston for not serving him on the field and for behaving “so badly afterwards.” “I can only explain it with the fact that I myself was insecure or afraid that the situation would escalate. He accepted the apology,” he said.