Brain injury charity Headway has called for the use of temporary substitutes in football following the latest high profile head injury in the sport.
The charity was speaking after the Arsenal versus Wolves game at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, which saw a clash of heads between Arsenal defender David Luiz and Wolves striker Raul Jimenez.
Jimenez required oxygen on the pitch before being taken to hospital for further treatment.
The thoughts of everyone at the charity are with Raul and his family as they wait for updates on his condition.
A bloodied Luiz was bandaged before being allowed to return to the field of play – only to be substituted at half-time because, according to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, “he was really uncomfortable and couldn’t really head the ball”.
Arteta also said that Luiz did not lose consciousness, however in only around 10% of concussions is a loss of consciousness a factor.
Luke Griggs, deputy chief executive at Headway, said: “Only last week we strongly criticised the International Football Association Board (IFAB) for its continued procrastination in introducing concussion substitutes into the sport.
“We have repeatedly warned about the risks to players and the importance of elite-level sport setting a good example for impressionable younger players to follow.
“Too often in football, we see players returning to the pitch having undergone a concussion assessment – only to be withdrawn a few minutes later when it is clear that they are not fit to continue.
“That is the very reason why we urgently need temporary concussion substitutes in football. You simply cannot take a risk with head injuries. They are not like muscular injuries where you can put a player back on ‘to see if they can run it off’. One further blow to the head when concussed could have serious consequences.
“The question that has to be asked is had the concussion substitutes rule been in place, would Luiz have been allowed to return to the field of play? Would that extra time in the treatment room have led to a different decision being made?
“The concussion protocol clearly states that ‘…anyone with a suspected concussion must be immediately removed from play’, while the sport continues to promote an ‘if in doubt, sit it out’ approach to head injuries.
“Time and time again we are seeing this rhetoric not being borne out by actions on the pitch. Something is not right. This cannot be allowed to continue.
“How many warnings does football need?”
