IFAB has officially approved the trialling of concussion substitutions from January. Clubs will now be able to temporarily replace a player with a head injury, even if they have made their allotted substitutions.
The news comes just weeks after Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Raul Jimenez suffered a fractured skull after clashing heads with David Luiz against Arsenal.
Concussion Subs Trial Approved
Concussion Substitutions Needed
The news comes as a relief within the footballing world after the incident at the Emirates a few weeks ago. Perhaps it was that incident that pushed IFAB to make the approval.
The decision to approve the concussion substitutions trial comes following a detailed consultation with relevant stakeholders, medical concussion experts, team doctors, player representatives, coach, competition organisers, refereeing and Laws of the game experts.
Those wishing to take part in the concussion substitution trial must apply to IFAB and FIFA through their respective national football associations.
The Premier League will discuss the implementation of concussion substitutions in their next shareholders’ meeting on Thursday. The hope will be that the idea is implemented across Europe- starting with England.
In the Premier League, the idea could have been ideal in situations such as the one at the Emirates. If concussion subs were available, Arsenal’s David Luiz would have been taken off far sooner than he was.
The Brazilian, following the clash of heads, played on until halftime before being replaced. The former Chelsea man was then absent in the game against Tottenham Hotspur due to the head injury.
The fact is, the situation could have resulted in far more damaging consequences than it did in the end. By implementing concussion subs, the consequences of a head injury should become far less severe with a player able to be replaced no matter the circumstance.
The concept rightfully puts player welfare first over anything.
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