News
The World Cup’s handling of concussions dips to a new low
Source: AFP Photo/Giuseppe Cacace
It seems like every four years the World Cup manages to find new ways to show how not to handle concussions. In the past, this typically included completely ignoring the head injuries, or quickly “treating” players on the sideline before sending them back onto the field.
This year, however, Morocco has managed to up the ante by handling an on-field head injury in perhaps the worst way imaginable.
During the second half of the matchup between Morocco and Iran, Morocco’s Nordin Amrabat slammed his head into an Iranian player while chasing down the ball.
The hard hit followed by a scary collapse are obvious signs of a concussion, which would typically result in a player being taken off the field to be assessed by qualified medical staff. Assessments do not, however, frequently involve being repeatedly slapped and sprayed with water in the face.
https://twitter.com/russmccuen/status/1007664234119954433
Sadly, that is exactly how the Moroccan team staff handled the situation – by treating an apparent concussion in perhaps the most cartoonishly outdated way imaginable.
If there was ever a single incident to encapsulate just how poorly Fifa and the World Cup handle brain injuries, Amrabat’s concussion would certainly be a contender.
[…] This year’s international competition has already been criticized for incidents where players dazed players were “treated” for head-first collisions with being slapped and sprayed with water in the face. […]