The 2022 World Cup is right around the corner, and football fans are ready to celebrate. However, if you think players will be playing on a level playing field, think again.
FIFA has introduced new rules for this year’s tournament in Qatar that are meant to protect players from head injuries, but some experts say they need to go further. Here is all you need to know about the new concussion protocol:
What’s the Need?
In the last two decades, we have seen a rise in awareness about the dangers of concussions and brain injuries. Concussions are mild traumatic brain injury that affects the brain’s function, causes headaches and nausea, and can lead to long-term problems like memory loss and post-concussive syndrome.
This incident sparked outrage among football fans and players alike, as there has been no clear protocol to deal with such situations. In response to this incident, FIFA implemented new rules for 2018 World Cup qualification matches to improve player safety and prevent further incidents like this from occurring again.
The new protocol requires all players suspected of having sustained head injuries during matches to undergo an assessment by a team doctor before they can return to play again.
Additionally, any player found unconscious on the pitch must be taken off immediately for medical attention, even if they have just regained consciousness, before being sent off for further evaluation by doctors to return safely to the pitch without risking further harm.
Suspect and Protect Protocol
The FIFA Medical Concussion Protocol is a series of measures to identify and treat concussive injuries aimed at protecting players from experiencing brain injury.
The protocol provides team doctors and medics with a step-by-step guide to dealing with concussions. This includes the FIFA Medical Concussion Protocol, which follows the credo “suspect and protect.”
FIFA will look to avoid this type of incident at this year’s tournament by introducing a series of measures to identify and treat concussive injuries.
The symptoms of a concussion can take hours or days to appear and vary from person to person. Because this makes it difficult for medical staff to determine whether or not a player has suffered a concussion, it places pressure on them to make quick decisions about whether or not to remove someone from play, even if they appear fine after a collision.
Introduction of Permanent Concussion Protocol
The protocol allows for a single additional permanent concussion substitution (APC). This substitution allows a team to withdraw a player who may have suffered a brain injury but does not impact the five permitted substitutions. The opposing team is granted an additional substitution with each APCS to avoid any advantage.
In addition, the protocol includes the following:
- A short test for suspected concussions
- A medical evaluation by a qualified physician or sports medicine professional within 15 minutes of suspected injury
- A second evaluation by an independent physician within one hour of the suspected injury
