By MATT BARLOW
Gareth Bale missed Tottenham’s defeat by Chelsea on Saturday after his partner went into labour a couple of hours before kick-off.
The Wales star raced home to Cardiff to be with Emma Rhys-Jones, who gave birth to a baby girl on Sunday, and went with his manager’s blessing.
‘It would have prevented him playing with the right frame of mind and we respect that,’ said Andre Villas-Boas. ‘That is why he wasn’t involved today.’
On the eve of the game, Bale was at the team hotel, fully focused on the London derby, tweeting: ‘Just got to the hotel. A bit of food then off to sleep for the early kick off tomorrow v chelsea! #biggame’.
He was named in the team and travelled to White Hart Lane for the lunchtime game with the squad before he received a call.
Tom Huddlestone was scrambled into the side for his first Barclays Premier League start for 17 months as part of a reshuffle which included Clint Dempsey moving on to the left wing to fill Bale’s position.
‘I only knew two hours before kick-off that he wasn’t playing,’ said left back Jan Vertonghen.
‘He would have made a huge difference, he is an amazing player but we respect his situation, of course.’
Bale is a very private person with a strong family bond to his South Wales roots. The 23-year-old revealed earlier this year that the heart-shaped sign he has always made with his hands after scoring his goals was a message to his girlfriend but he is not comfortable talking about his family, a viewpoint shared and respected by Villas-Boas, who added: ‘It is a personal matter and not for me to discuss.’
These days it is not unknown for footballers to arrange for their partners to be induced on a certain day or even to have a caesarean section.
Back in 1989, QPR manager Trevor Francis was widely criticised for fining Martin Allen when the player flew back from a game at Newcastle to be at the birth of his first child, son George.
Allen recalled: ‘I took a phone call from my dad saying that my wife Gabriella was about to give birth. I got the plane, was at the hospital at 9.30am and our son was born at 12.15pm.
‘I’ll never forget the following Monday. I was just leaving for home after training when Trevor Francis handed me an envelope while I was getting in my car. I thought it was going to be a note of congratulations for having the baby. But it was a two-week wages fine.
‘But I have no regrets about what happened. It was only human that I wanted to see the birth of my first child. Everyone has the right if they wish to do that — whether you are a footballer, a banker or a politician.’
