Well what do you know the lad has hepatitis, I wonder how much this affected his ability to play for us.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/football/socceroo-kewell-has-hepatitis-reports/2008/10/29/1224956119734.htmlSocceroos star Harry Kewell's club and manager have dismissed concerns about his health after reports he may suffer from autoimmune hepatitis.
The Turkish media reports suggest the condition was disclosed in Kewell's medical tests when he joined Galatasaray in the off-season after coming off contract at Liverpool.
But the Istanbul-based club and Kewell's personal manager Bernie Mandic - while not denying Kewell had the non-contagious condition - said there was no difference in Kewell's health condition since he started his career with Leeds United back in 1995.
Australian reports suggested today the condition may have affected Kewell's ability to play for the Socceroos in the past because it would make it difficult for him to take repeated long flights in a short space of time.
Autoimmune hepatitis is not infectious and is a result of the body's own immune system attacking the liver cells.
Symptoms include fatigue and the disease is typically chronic and progressive if not treated, sometimes leading to cirrhosis.
It is generally treated with the steroid prednisone and can be controlled if detected early.
Galatasaray released a statement today in response to suggestions the condition had affected Kewell's appearances, stressing there was no threat to 30-year-old Kewell's playing future.
"Mr Kewell has never had and does not have any health problems that have prevented him performing at his best at club level and for the Australian national team in a professional football career spanning 14 years apart from injuries that a common to footballer players," the club said in a statement on its website.
"There is no difference on the health condition of Kewell since he started his professional footballer career at Leeds United.
"Our club has got the all the detailed info about his previous operations and his health problems with the check-ups.
"Kewell's physical condition is no different now to when he was playing previously.
"All the news about the player's absences are based on the muscle and skeleton problems that can be seen on every player.
"The exaggerated news about the autoimmune hepatitis and future hypothesis shows clearly the unethical position of our media."
The club is believed to be taking legal action against one Turkish newspaper that claimed Kewell could be a health risk to his teammates.
Mandic said those suggestions were "ridiculous."
"He does not have and never has had any sort of contagious disease and that's what people have been speculating," Mandic told AAP.
"There is nothing physically different to Harry from when he started his football career at Leeds to now and he's passed every medical test.
"The conclusions that people are coming up with are just ridiculous."
Reports suggested Football Federation Australia knew about Kewell's condition in the lead-up to the 2006 World Cup and made special arrangements for him as a result, but FFA declined to comment today.
Kewell has scored four goals in eight games since joining Galatasaray, including scoring the winner in the 1-0 UEFA Cup win over Olympiakos last week.
