Luke Griggs, Interim Chief Executive of Headway UK said “Arsenal team doctors followed UEFA’s concussion protocols, they rightly prioritised their player’s welfare and prepared a concussion substitute, it is disappointing that this substitute was not allowed on to the pitch.
“It is frustrating that UEFA are not expanding the use of concussion substitutes into more competitions. Despite launching their concussion charter last year and a concussion awareness campaign, they have only allowed concussion substitutions in one competition - the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals.
“Previously, we have seen instances of teams keeping players on the pitch after sustaining a head injury. Now we see a team doing the right thing, putting their players safety first, and being penalised – forced to play the remainder of the match with ten players.
“Through these on-pitch decisions, UEFA are undermining their own concussion awareness and player welfare campaign. They really missed an opportunity last night; we could have seen women’s football lead from the front on this important issue”Back
