Chelsea have come under critisism from brain charity Headway after allowing goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to carry on playing, despite suffering a nasty knock to the head on Sunday.
Courtois collided with Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez, but after what looked like Courtois being knocked out cold for a couple of seconds, he carried on for another 15 minutes until he was eventually replaced by Petr Cech.
The Premier League and the FA have implimented strict new rules on head injuries following the incident with Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris last season, who insisted in carrying on despite the Spurs medical staff clearly concerned about his well-being.
And Headway Chief Executive Peter McCabe said in a lengthy statement:
”The new rules introduced this season were designed to ensure no risks to players’ health were taken.”
“They clearly state that ‘if there is any suspicion of the player having sustained a concussion, they must be removed from the field of play, and not allowed to return’.
“This incident calls into question whether these rules are working effectively.
“For example, was the third ‘tunnel doctor’ consulted on the decision to allow Courtois to continue? If so, did he or she agree that there was no suspicion of concussion?
“From television footage alone, it is difficult to assess the severity of any injury and the decision of the medical team assessing the player has to be respected.
“However, it is hard to understand how a concussion was not suspected following the sickening clash.
“Bleeding from one or both ears is one of the symptoms to look out for that requires an immediate visit or return to hospital following a head injury.
“The fact that the bleeding only became apparent 15 minutes after the injury also demonstrates the evolving nature of concussion and highlights why a safety-first approach must be taken with all head injuries.”
By Matthew Derrig
