Ross Mullen | Staff Writer
While rugby continues to lag behind the NFL with regard to protecting players, association football remains a considerable distance behind both. A fortnight ago, Hugo Lloris’s head collided with Everton striker Romelu Lukaku’s knee, rendering the French ‘keeper unconscious. He quickly regained consciousness but was unaware of the incident and was even unable to remember kickoff. Television viewers were treated to pictures of this athlete staggering around the pitch, attempting to convince those around him that he could play on. Unbelievably, even with a perfectly capable deputy in Brad Friedel kitted out on the sideline, the French keeper saw out the remainder of the game.André Villas-Boas came out after the game applauding the courage and bravery of his number one, but Lloris was surrounded by cowards at Goodison Park.
The decision should never have been in the hands of Lloris to say if he was fit to continue. Even his manager’s quote, “the call always belongs to me” is hard to comprehend.
Surely a young man’s health, especially when it relates to his brain, should be top priority and not three Premier League points.
Lloris had no memory of the collision and Villas-Boas noted afterwards that “the medical department was giving me signs that the player couldn’t carry on.” Surely a young man’s health, especially when it relates to his brain, should be top priority and not three Premier League points. Disappointingly, the latter appeared to be of more importance to AVB.
The dangers of brain injuries have been well documented in recent years. In 2011, a 14-year-old rugby player became the first person in Northern Ireland to die from second-impact syndrome. The young schoolboy suffered from a concussion due to a heavy knock, but played on, eventually collapsing from a second hit and later passing away from the head injury.
Lloris is not the first footballer to be knocked unconscious, nor will he be the last.
The fear that Lloris could have suffered something similar are not exaggerated or imagined. Only two months ago the NFL agreed a settlement of over £477m with over a thousand former players for misleading them on the dangers of head injuries. The medical knowledge surrounding sport and injuries are constantly advancing but unfortunately the bodies in charge of these sports have failed to keep up, as noted in the first article of our series.
Romelu Lukaku (right) suffered a concussion against West Ham earlier this season. He also continued to play.
Headway, a brain injury charity, labelled AVB’s decision “irresponsible” and the Spurs manager has been subject to heavy criticism in the wake of his decision, and rightly so. A player should never continue to play at the risk of his own health. The fact he looked “driven and focused” according to AVB is irrelevant and a poor attempt to justify his reckless decision. André Villas-Boas has a persona which makes him intuitively likable. His cool and collected demeanour coupled with his unique squatting position on the touchline and suave dress sense have made him a popular manager across the water. All this aside, his decision in this situation is a difficult one to stomach.
Everton manager Roberto Martinez has called for legislation to be introduced which take the decision out of the manager’s hands; “There are many issues that are medical grounds and others which are football grounds, and we have to be careful the two don’t overlap each other.” Lloris being knocked out was clearly a medical ground. It is simple, he was not fit to continue. The fact Lloris has not played since is a testament to this. AVB was advised by his medical team not to play the French keeper against Newcastle when tests which were intended to prove his fitness came back with a negative result.
Football must strive to ensure the fear and risk of brain injuries is properly tackled and a repeat of the Lloris situation does not occur
Lloris is not the first footballer to be knocked unconscious, nor will he be the last. However, hopefully he is the last to remain on the field of play afterwards. Nemanja Vidic similarly was knocked out in his side’s recent victory over Arsenal but in stark contrast he was removed from play immediately. Mathieu Flamini was also left out of Arsené Wenger’s squad for their Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund, after concussion. These are the correct procedures. Head injuries are far too serious to be ignored. They have the ability to strongly affect a player’s life, not just their career. It is irresponsible for managers to act as AVB has done and it is disappointing to hear the manager attempt to vindicate his decision.
The NFL now lead the way in dealing with brain injuries while the IRB are finally beginning to face up to a problem rife in rugby. Football must strive to ensure the fear and risk of brain injuries is properly tackled and a repeat of the Lloris situation does not occur. AVB should be ashamed of his decision, but in future, the decision shouldn’t even be his.
