The Rational Ref | Villas-Boas should be ashamed for not taking Lloris off
It is time that concussion in football begins to be taken seriously - whether or not players insist they are okay to play on
Monty Python perfectly captured the foolhardy, chivalrous and brash macho ego with The Black Knight's immortal phrase: "Tis but a scratch". We saw this type of boneheaded gallantry last Saturday when Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris, who was knocked unconscious for several seconds after a nasty collision with the knee of Everton forward Romelu Lukaku, insisted on playing on.
This was against specific expert medical advice at the time, and against Fifa's general guidelines on concussion. Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas was the ultimate decision maker, not the medical doctor or the match referee.
"The medical department was giving me signs that the player couldn't carry on because he couldn't remember where he was," said Villas-Boas. "Hugo still doesn't remember the impact but he was quite focused and quite determined to continue. When you see this kind of assertiveness from the player it means that he is able to carry on. It was my call to delay the substitution, you have to make a decision in situations like this. From my knowledge of football he seemed OK to continue."
Surely in cases like this, referees should be privy to what medical staff have recommended
Villas-Boas is sending out the message that as long as someone has the mental fortitude and obstinate willpower they can continue playing soccer. Despite the fact that there might be internal bleeding or a fracture present, determined players can carry on providing they say something impressively courageous and manly like: "I've had worse … It's just a flesh wound".
Referees are at odds with this because their main consideration is safety. EPL referee Kevin Friend was concerned about Lloris and appeared to suggest he be substituted. Furthermore, the Spurs medical team, along with captain Michael Dawson, wanted Lloris to be replaced. But Villas-Boas rejected medical opinion and common sense and allowed his first-choice keeper to complete the remaining 12 minutes of the match, plus nine minutes of stoppage time.
With Lloris subsequently making an important save and completing the match without further incident, Villas-Boas clearly felt vindicated. It is interesting that no one has publicly condoned Villas-Boas for his decision. Plenty others have condemned the 36-year-old Spurs boss for being irresponsible and ignorant toward the health and safety of his player.
"[Lloris] should have been substituted. It's a 99 per cent probability that losing consciousness in such an event will result in concussion," said Fifa's chief medical officer Professor Jiri Dvorak.
"We are hugely concerned that a professional football club should take such an irresponsible and cavalier attitude to a player's health," said Luke Griggs, spokesman for brain injury charity Headway.