Manchester United defender Harry Maguire suffered a head injury in the opening minute of his team’s Premier League victory over Fulham on Saturday.
The incident has raised questions about whether proper protocols were followed, according to a leading brain injury charity.
Maguire was caught on the side of his head by Rodrigo Muniz’s shoulder during a challenge at Craven Cottage.
He went down on his haunches and appeared uncomfortable.
The team doctor checked him on the pitch for possible concussion, as per the Premier League guidelines.
Despite passing the concussion tests, Maguire needed a second check after halftime.
Headway, a charity that focuses on brain injury, has called for the introduction of “temporary concussion substitutes” in football.
This would allow a team to bring on a replacement while the injured player is assessed off the pitch, as it is already done in rugby.
“Temporary concussion substitutions would immediately help return some credibility to the process, but an evolution of attitude is urgently needed,” said Luke Griggs, Chief Executive of Headway.
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Griggs believes that the culture of football needs to change to prioritize players’ health above the result of a game.
He emphasized that progress made in concussion protocols is being eroded with every high-profile incident where safety is ignored.
He cited the case of Hugo Lloris, who played for Spurs against Everton in 2013 after suffering a concussion and being labelled a “hero” for overruling club medics to return to the pitch.
The incident involving Maguire did not suggest that Manchester United’s medical staff did anything wrong.
Nonetheless, Griggs stressed the need for concussion substitutes to be adopted across the sport.
Earlier this year, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) rejected a trial for temporary concussion substitutes in the Premier League, France’s Ligue 1, and Major League Soccer in the United States.
However, FIFA is continuing indefinitely with its trials for permanent substitutions, where a team can have an extra substitute in the case of a player being withdrawn because of a likely concussion.
