UK Edition
Brain injury campaigners call on Uefa to investigate after Fabian Schar plays on despite being knocked unconscious
Brain injury campaigners have called on Uefa to launch an urgent investigation into how Fabian Schar was allowed to continue playing for Switzerland on Saturday after being knocked unconscious.
They have also warned of their fear that it will take a “catastrophic injury” before football changes its attitude to concussion.
The Newcastle centre-back was playing against Georgia in Switzerland's 2-0 Euro 2020 qualification win when he was knocked out following a first-half clash of heads with Jemal Tabidze which prompted another opponent, Jano Ananidze, to ensure he did not swallow his tongue.
Schar was assessed by team medics and still allowed to continue and complete the game. He later said that he was “out for a few seconds”, that he “can't remember anything” and that his “skull is still humming”.
Tabidze, who was also laid motionless and bleeding after the clash, also continued after being bandaged up.
Newcastle United have been in communication with the doctors of Switzerland, who play Denmark on Tuesday night, to understand more about what happened and are concerned by what they have seen. The brain injury association Headway wants a formal investigation.
“What is it going to take to make football take concussion seriously? “ said chief executive Peter McCabe. “How many more players will have their careers and, more importantly, their lives and long-term health put at risk by the sport’s inability to follow its own protocols?
“The player’s comments after the match are also deeply disturbing and again show the lack of awareness and understanding among players. Uefa must immediately launch an investigation into the incident and explain why their protocols were not followed. There’s a real fear that it will take a catastrophic injury to a high-profile player before any real change in attitudes is forthcoming.”
Uefa’s protocol is that, in the event of a suspected concussion, the referee stops the game for up to three minutes to allow the injured player to be assessed by the team doctor. A player is then only allowed to continue on specific confirmation by the team doctor to the referee of the participant’s fitness to carry on.
Fifa also recommend a ‘when in doubt, sit the player out’ principle should there be any uncertainty over whether a concussion has occurred. There is also a minimum six-day return to play protocol following a concussion. When this was openly flouted during the World Cup, Fifa took no disciplinary action.
Campaigners are firstly calling for football to enforce its own protocol but also for it to be strengthened to allow for concussion substitutes so that a longer period of assessment is possible. FIFpro, the world union for players, also wants the final decision to rest with independent medics rather than club doctors who could be under at least an indirect pressure to keep players on the pitch.
Fifa says that it “regularly monitors the situation of head injuries, maintaining constant contact with current and on-going studies on this matter and reviewing our protocols”.
The Schar concussion follows two worrying club incidents earlier this month. Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina, who is on loan at Napoli, was allowed to continue following a collision and then later fainted during the match. Anthony Lopes, the Lyon goalkeeper, also continued in the Champions League against Barcelona following a collision with Philippe Coutinho before being substituted. Lyon coach Bruno Genesio later said that Lopes “lost awareness but did not want to come off” and was a “little knocked out”.