. \u201cI think it’s really important that FIFA is trying to help as mental illness needs to be normalised.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\nCamarasa is now 29 years old. He was an Under-21 international with Spain and made his La Liga debut at the age of 20. His biggest test however was the cruciate ligament tear he suffered with Betis in August 2020 which kept him side-lined for more than six months and was followed by surgery on the patellar tendon in the same leg.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nTo talk to V\u00edctor today is to talk to a player who is gradually regaining his smile, both in his daily life, and on the pitch. His decision should serve as an example to anyone who thinks he or she needs help.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n“The complicated thing is taking the first step,” he said, recalling his feelings on 12 September. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n“In this sport, as in many others, we must start treating mental illness in a comparable way to any other injury. if you have to stop, you have to stop. Do not fear what people will say. It’s still seen as rare when someone needs to stop playing” he points out, trying to dismantle the stigma still surrounding mental illness. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n
Conversation moves onto the importance of talking, of asking for help, particularly in the football industry with its global profile. It\u2019s a factor that has driven him to become an inadvertent \u2018spokesman.\u2019 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n“When you have a serious injury, you need support from those around you as sometimes you can feel very low\u201d he explained. \u201cPlayers are role models to many, and always in the spotlight. If we can help in some way to show we\u2019re all the same, and stories like mine can have a positive impact on people, then it’s a big step forward.”<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\nWhen Camarasa decided to stop, he stepped away from football completely. He is proud of his decision, though with an important nuance. “The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about it, is that maybe I should have stopped even earlier.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n“I’ve been through some very difficult times. When i’ve been injured and out of the game, it’s important to have support. Awareness campaigns from organisations like FIFA can really make a difference.” Victor Camarasa, Real Oviedo player.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“Feeling that I couldn’t cope with the situation any more though made me say ‘enough’. I couldn’t react rationally to day-to-day situations. Before that point, I\u2019d never contemplated stopping because I was unwell. \u201cWe all have bad days, but when it’s day after day and you get home and you’re half ‘dead’… this made me take the decision together with the club and the doctors. You have to try to recognise there is a problem, and express what is happening, whether it’s with the help of a psychologist or psychiatrist\u201d he reflected.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\nAfter a few weeks away from the team, on 2 October he returned to training with his teammates. Another ‘step\u2019 forward was when he returned to the Carlos Tartiere Stadium pitch on 7 October. “It was a huge joy. When I came on to warm up, all the fans applauded me. They also wanted to see me back on the pitch, enjoying myself and being happy. I was thrilled and I only have words of thanks” he continued. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n
Throughout his period away from the game, Victor\u2019s club also played a significant role in his recovery. “At Real Oviedo, and as part of the Grupo Pachuca \u2013 where we have been working with sport psychologists – we are very aware of mental health, and we equally support FIFA’s #ReachOut campaign” said General Manager Agust\u00edn Lleida. \u201cWe are always at the player’s side. We see Victor as a person first, and a footballer second.\u201d Looking back on his recent experience, V\u00edctor is thankful for all the support he has received. In conclusion, he has a message that he trusts will reach those who need it.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n“I am lucky, to do what I like. It seems that we (as footballers) have everything we could want, but I am also just a human, like everyone else. This illness can affect anyone, and if you do get ill, accept it, and please seek help.”<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
\n Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FIFA.<\/i> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ZURICH, Switzerland, December 6, 2023\/APO Group\/ — The Real Oviedo player decided to stop playing on 12 September to take care of his mental health; He hopes to serve as an example to teammates and other players; The Spaniard emphasises the importance of talking about mental health, and encourages those in need to\u00a0#ReachOut (https:\/\/apo-opa.co\/47YIBPf). In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/fifa.africa-newsroom.com\/files\/thumb\/1f5e72296291597\/200\/200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/fifa.africa-newsroom.com\/files\/thumb\/1f5e72296291597\/200\/200","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southafricatoday.net\/sport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}