Music: {allcanada} Christine Sinclair might miss France game

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

{allcanada} Christine Sinclair might miss France game

Christine Sinclair may be forced to skip Canada's next game at the FIFA Women's World Cup.

The team captain was unable to participate in Tuesday's practice in Bochum, Germany, and is unsure if she'll be cleared to face France on Thursday.

Sinclair suffered a broken nose during Canada's opening 2-1 loss to Germany.

She was later fitted for a protective mask but says she won't be cleared to start running again until the pain goes away.

CBC Sports reporter Brenda Irving caught up with Sinclair after Tuesday's practice where the Canadian delivered the potentially bad news.

"Sinclair, who did not train with the team, says there's a real chance now that she's not going to play," Irving said. "She says she's in a lot of pain when she attempts to run. The doctors say if she reinjures herself now she could be out of the tournament entirely.

"She still maintains that she wants to play but the team has decided that the doctors are going to have the final say and that will be tomorrow [Wednesday] after training."

But the chance of having Sinclair on the pitch Thursday against France doesn't appear promising.

"One player said off the record that it doesn't look good for her being in that game on Thursday," Irving said. "So we'll find out in the next 24 hours."

However, even if Sinclair gets medical clearance to play with a protective mask it won't be easy to manoeuver with. Sinclair told CBC Sports reporter Sonali Karnick that the mask also "felt weird" and "her vision wasn't great."

"She didn't really like it," Karnick said.

Canadian midfielder Sophie Schmidt can relate to Sinclair's plight. Schmidt broke her nose and played with a face mask in the past.

"She says it really does limit your vision," Karnick said. "You can't see your feet as well because it blocks your vision downward. You have to really learn how to play with it and there's not a lot of time to get use to it."

With the top two teams in each group moving on, Canada needs at least a draw against France to keep its hopes alive.