PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Afellay Tuesday ruled himself out of Thursday's second-leg match against Italy's Fiorentina in the UEFA Cup quarterfinals due to an ankle injury.
This dealt a heavy blow to the Dutch champions' bid to earn a semifinal spot of the UEFA Cup.
PSV earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Fiorentina in Florence on April 3.
Afellay told reporters at the club that he sustained the ankle injury during Sunday's Dutch premier league clash with Heracles Almelo.
Afelly and Heracles captain Rob Maas collided. "He firmly stood on my ankle and I immediately felt something was definitely wrong," said Afellay.
Afellay said he had a scan taken at hospital earlier Tuesday. Although the result of the scan is not known yet and the exact nature of the injury remains to be revealed, Afellay said he knows he is ruled out of the Fiorentina clash.
Afellay will also miss next Sunday's crucial Dutch league match against Twente as he serves a one-match ban. PSV needs a win to clinch the league title.
Meanwhile, PSV's Peruvian striker Jefferson Farfan, who collected a second yellow card in Florence, will also be out of Thursday's match against Fiorentina.
(Xinhua News Agency April 9, 2008)