Eyewitness about Kim Huybrechts’ broken collarbone: “Kim tripped and then got a few kicks”

Kim Huybrechts, the current Belgian number two in darts, went to support Antwerp on Thursday during the cup match at the Heysel in Brussels. Huybrechts is an avid supporter of Antwerp, which lost the final to Union. When Huybrechts walked back to the buses at Parking C with other supporters after the match, things went wrong.

The walk to Parking C, about a mile away, went through the Verregat Park. Huybrechts said afterwards on social media that Antwerp supporters were provoked at that moment by a group of immigrant young people. When Huybrechts stepped through to reach the bus, he was allegedly attacked from behind out of nowhere.

Huybrechts also repeated this to a TV crew from his hospital bed on Friday morning: “The moment I pass there, I get a push. I want to turn around, and that’s when a motorcycle helmet hits me in the face. (…) I am being tackled. Suddenly they start stomping on my head.” Huybrechts suffered a double fracture of his collarbone and had to undergo surgery on Friday.

The Brussels police had no knowledge of the incident on Friday. According to the Brussels public prosecutor’s office, no investigation is underway as no one has filed a complaint. Huybrechts stated on Radio 2 on Friday that he does not yet know whether he will file a complaint: “I don’t know if that makes sense.”

Another Antwerp supporter who witnessed the incident qualifies Huybrechts’ explanation: “A group of supporters and a group of ten to twenty young people from Brussels stood opposite each other. Most of them seemed underage to me. Suddenly something happened that caused everyone to scatter. It was the supporters who chased the young people.”

Someone allegedly shouted that a helmet had been hit. “Huybrechts was one of the men who chased those teenagers. He fell. It looked like he tripped over his own feet. When he tried to get up, two or three of those guys gave him a few cowardly kicks.”

Kim Huybrechts hopes to have recovered sufficiently within four weeks for the Euro Tour qualifications in Antwerp.

Successful operation

In the meantime, Huybrechts has undergone successful surgery at the AZ Monica campus in Deurne. “The operation went well,” says Nick Jansen, orthopedic surgeon and team doctor at Beerschot football club. “We were able to reduce the breakage nicely with a plate and screws. I saw Kim just now. He felt comfortable, a little sleepy, but overall doing well. Tomorrow he can go home and immediately start his rehabilitation. He needs to move as quickly as possible, that shoulder is stabilized. He may then come out of the sling (a kind of band that supports the arm, ed.) and make some small movements.”

However, during the first two weeks, Huybrechts must be careful not to strain himself too much. “He is absolutely not allowed to throw darts yet,” the sports doctor emphasizes. “If after that period it appears that the wound has healed well and he feels well enough, then we can consider increasing his activities. The practice sessions with his physiotherapist will start from Monday.”

“Being able to perform again in four weeks is impossible”

For the professional darts player, recovery cannot go fast enough. “Kim already told me that he wanted to play that qualifying tournament that starts in four weeks at all costs, whether we let him or not,” says Jansen. “I made it clear to him that his performance will be far from optimal. His motivation is very high, which is good, but Kim will not make any progress at those competitions,” the doctor says. “He will still lack the necessary strength in the shoulder for this and the precision will not yet be adequate. This is different from a cyclist, who can exercise again after a week, because he mainly has to do the work with his legs.”

Ideally, Huybrechts would only be able to participate in competitions again in six weeks. “If some form of calcium production is visible on the X-ray after six weeks, we consider it responsible to perform a competition load again. This movement largely occurs from the ball-and-socket joint and not via his collarbone, but after a recovery of just four weeks, optimal performance is impossible,” says doctor Nick Jansen.