NO JEF

Why is Jefferson Farfan NOT playing in Australia vs Peru, and how did he suffer ‘traumatic brain injury’?

The Peruvian forward is one of their main attacking outlets but will miss their final game after suffering a head injury in training ground collision

PERU take on Australia in their final Group C fixture on Tuesday.

But they will be missing their superstar winger Jefferson Farfan through injury.

Who is Jefferson Farfan?

Farfan, born in Peru's capital, Lima, made his professional debut in 2001 for local side Alianza Lima.

After netting 28 times in 77 league appearances, he earned a move to Europe with PSV at the age of 19.

Once again, the Peruvian forward impressed with his pace and direct dribbling in Holland, winning four Eredivisie titles in four seasons.

Since then, he has enjoyed spells at Schalke 04 in Germany and UAE's Al Jazira, with the 33-year-old currently playing for Lokomotiv Moscow.

The speedster has been an integral part for Peru since making his debut in 2003, racking up 86 caps for The Incas.

The South Americans are already out of the World Cup after defeats in their two opening games in Russia.

Farfan currently sits in third on his country's all-time top scorer list with 25, just one behind the legendary Teofilo Cubillas.

But he will not be adding to that total against Australia, after being ruled out of the Group C finale with a head injury.

The Peru forward collided with a team-mate during training on Saturday, as they prepared for this week's Australia clash.

The nation's football federation confirmed that he had sustained a "traumatic brain injury."

Coach Ricardo Gareca said of the incident: "He was unconcious for a couple of minutes. He is OK but it was a scare."

Protocols on concussions dictate that Farfan remains in hospital for 72 hours, meaning he will be unable to feature against the Socceroos on Tuesday.

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