season and this summer's World Cup, the English
footballing body has decided to implement new rules
to be followed
New guidelines from The
Football Association will see
players who lose
consciousness during a
match taken away from the
field of play.
The subject of concussion has regularly been in the
headlines over recent months, following incidents in
the Premier League and at the World Cup.
Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris suffered
concussion during November's fixture with Everton
before Alvaro Pereira, Javier Mascherano and
Cristoph Kramer all played on despite receiving blows
to the head in Brazil.
And in new rules unveiled on Tuesday, which
are supported by the Premier League, the Football
League and the League Manager's Association,
any player who suffers a "confirmed or suspected
period of loss of consciousness" will be forced to
leave the field of play and not be allowed to return.
Where there are no signs of concussion, an on-field
assessment must take place, and any player who
suffers two or more head injuries must be given
detailed psychometric testing.
"Such testing should be carried out every 48 hours
following an incident to assess the injury whilst a
clinical assessment should be made daily, with a
minimum period of six days in which time the player
will be ineligible to return to play," the FA said in a
statement.
Furthermore, after ratification from the Premier
League's shareholders, team doctors will now have
the final say on whether a player can continue or not,
rather than members of the coaching staff.
Dr Ian Beasley, chair of the FA’s medical committee,
said: "Managers, players and clubs need to
understand the risks associated with head injuries.
"The advice of medical professionals is key in this
area, and whilst we have developed processes to deal
with many types of injury, this is an area that has
perhaps needed some more scrutiny.
"We have worked closely with the stakeholders to
develop these new guidelines and the message is
clear for players; listen to medical advice and take no
chances - stop playing and take your time to
recover."