December 17 – The potential introduction of concussions substitutes took a step nearer with rulemaking body IFAB fast tracking trials of a new rule to begin in January 2021.
IFAB said that after consultation with stakeholders and recommendations from it Concussion Expert Group, its agreed members agreed that, “in the event of an actual or suspected concussion, the player in question should be permanently removed from the match to protect their welfare, but the player’s team should not suffer a numerical disadvantage.”
Consultation on the introduction of a new rule on how to deal with concussion has been intense and in IFAB terms relatively short as it has taken less than a year to reach the test phase. But with a number of players, in rugby in particular, blaming early onset of dementia on concussion injuries, the pressure to act has been building.
IFAB said the “approach” of the new rule under test:
- prevents a player sustaining another concussion during the match as multiple head-injury incidents can have very serious consequences;
- sends a strong message that, if in doubt, the player is withdrawn but there is no numerical or tactical disadvantage by prioritising the player’s welfare;
- reduces the pressure on medical personnel to make a quick assessment; and
- is simple to operate and can be applied at all levels of the game, including most of football that is played without doctors or medically qualified staff available on site.
League and FA’s wanting to participate in the trials must apply to The IFAB and FIFA. “Competition organisers must ensure that the official protocols are used in their entirety and that the required feedback is submitted,” said IFAB.
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