Jim White has suggested that more needs to be done about potential head injuries in football after an issue involving Jan Vertonghen in Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Ajax on Tuesday night.
The Belgian was left bloody and dazed by a clash with teammate Toby Alderweireld, but was allowed to continue playing after being assessed by medical staff.
He then requested to be brought off shortly after following a period on which he was clearly struggling.
And White believes that the game as a whole could learn a lot from rugby.
Speaking on talkSPORT (May 1st, 11am), he said: “It was a moment that everybody was very, very upset, watching poor old Verthongen, and then, having been back on the pitch, having to come off the pitch – and he looked a pretty sorry state.
“Should football now take a leaf out of rugby’s rulebook and organise different replacement schedules for player who has maybe got a head injury. Stick on a replacement, then if the head injury isn’t what it was thought, take the replacement off and the guy can continue.
“Surely football can learn from rugby.”
OPINION
White is spot on with this one. You can never be too carful when it comes to head injuries, and realistically, Vertonghen should never have carried on in the first place. The issue you have is that every sportsman in the world will tell you they are fine to continue when asked after a clash of heads, but that doesn’t mean that they are actually okay to. There must be a better laid out protocol that prioritises the welfare of the player above anything else. If that means allowing temporary substitutions, then so be it. Anything could have happened to Vertonghen out there last night, and it would have been unforgivable if something worse had. Thankfully, he seems to be alright, but after years and years of this kind of thing, it’s time that the relevant governing bodies took action to prevent a situation where something disastrous or tragic happens.