The Concussion Legacy Foundation has described Iran’s head injury management of goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand as “shameful and predictable”, with the player suffering a potential concussion in Iran’s 6-2 loss to England at the Qatar World Cup.
Beiranvand suffered a head injury early in the game but was not substituted after receiving treatment and being assessed by the medical team.
Brandon Boyd, speaking on behalf of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, criticised the decision to allow Beiranvand to continue, and called on FIFA to introduce temporary concussion substitutes so that players could be properly evaluated.
Boyd said: “The management of Alireza Beiranvand’s head injury today was both shameful and predictable. CLF and others in the space have long advocated for independently managed, temporary concussion substitutes so players with possible concussions can be properly evaluated away from the field.
“Instead, FIFA has rejected temporary substitutions, which forces doctors to attempt to diagnose concussions quickly on the field.”
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Iran Head Injury Management Simply Not Good Enough
The head injury to Iran’s goalkeeper occurred during the opening minutes of Iran’s first Group B match as Beiranvand came off his line and got a vital touch on Harry Kane’s cross. Unfortunately, he then collided with defender Majid Hosseini.
Both the goalkeeper and defender stayed down while they were treated and assessed by medical staff. Beiranvand stayed down for a significant amount of time, and it became clear that he was not fit to continue.
But then the goalkeeper rose to his feet and changed his shirt. Despite being surrounded by the medical staff who had been assessing him, he signalled to the referee that he intended to carry on. He only managed to play on for a few more minutes before signalling to the Iranian bench that he could not continue.
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The incident left viewers and commentators shocked, with Jermaine Jenas pointing out that how football deals with head injuries remains a prevalent issue.
Commentating for BBC Sport Jenas said: “I don’t see how this is right. It’s the responsibility of the medical team to make the decision [to go off]. We’re at a major tournament in 2022, where we’re constantly talking about concussion in the game and the long-term effects it’s had on players with dementia, and things like this are still happening.”
🫣 Aua, aua, aua. Alles Gute, Alireza Beiranvand. 🤕
🏴 🆚 🇮🇷 0⃣ : 0⃣#FIFAWorldCup #WM2022 #ENGIRN pic.twitter.com/oI0ty72JZ7
— FIFA Fussball-Weltmeisterschaft (@fifaworldcup_de) November 21, 2022
Football’s Ongoing Concussion Problem
Iran’s head injury management is not an isolated issue. Over the years concussion protocols and how football deals with head injuries has become an increasingly talked about topic. Former players, including Nobby Stiles and Jack Charlton from England’s 1966 World Cup winning squad, have subsequently been diagnosed with dementia after their playing careers.
As a result, the UK government conducted an inquiry into how sports deal with head injuries last year. Committee chairman, Julian Knight MP, stated that there had been “a dereliction of duty” with regard to how the FA had treated concussion in the past.
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Since then, football has introduced concussion substitutes, allowing teams to bring a player off if they are suspected of suffering a concussion after a head trauma. These are in operation at the Qatar World Cup and do not count towards a team’s five available substitutes.
However, Boyd and the Concussion Legacy Foundation believe that more changes could be made to better protect players. They believe that the current system causes medical staff to rush their assessment, which puts a player such as Beiranvand at further risk.
Boyd said: “Rushed diagnoses – with the added pressure of a live audience – will result in incorrect diagnoses more frequently than longer evaluations away from the pressures of the game, and the system failed again today.
“Sadly, we can expect to see similar mistakes as we did today until FIFA changes their approach to concussion substitutions.”
Last Word on Football recognise Qatar’s human rights abuses and instances of corruption taking place throughout the nation and in the background of the World Cup. Learn more about some of the issues surrounding the World Cup here.
