For our national team, the European Championships are over after the staid elimination against England. However, one scene stuck with us. It wasn't a game-winning goal or a foul play worth discussing. It was a normal duel, which also takes place regularly on many amateur sports fields:
In the European championship group game between Germany and World Champion France, the 55th minute of the game is on. Joshua Kimmich hits a cross from the right onto the second post, where Robin Gosens wants to head on goal — and Benjamin Pavard wants to clear the ball head on.
This is followed by a duel in which Pavard von Gosens hits him in the head with his knee. A tough action — but the order of the day in soccer.
The Frenchman falls to the ground like a wet sack, remains motionless and initially lying unnoticed. However, after a short break in treatment and a little water in his neck, he continues to play. After the game, the Bayern defender states that he was probably unconscious for ten to fifteen minutes.
In the run-up to the European championship, the associations established the so-called “Concussion Charter” (concussion) in cooperation with UEFA.
If they had followed this in Pavard's case, the world champion would definitely not have been allowed to continue playing. This recent example shows us how carelessly head injuries are handled in soccer — and how far behind other sports is.
In the USA, there are two people present at every NFL game, so-called “spotters,” whose job is to identify players with head injuries and report them to the team's respective medical department.
You even have the option to take a break so that you can examine the player. If one of the typical symptoms of a concussion occurs during this examination, the player must take a test. The results are then compared with the results achieved by the player in a clear state.
If irregularities are found, the player goes into the cabin for further investigations. A return to the match is only possible after approval by the medical staff, a neutral neurologist as well as after re-examining the scene.
The word “neutral” is important here, because coaches and doctors usually do not decide in the interests of the player, but in the sense of success.
We are the game changer — B42
A first step in the right direction in soccer was taken with the FIFA and IFAB test phase, which allows an additional replacement if a concussion is suspected.
While the test phase is being used in the Premier League, the DFL has decided against it. However, it must be mentioned that 5 substitutions are currently allowed in Germany due to the corona pandemic, whereas the previous 3 substitutions have remained the same in England.
The additional replacement would probably not have been necessary for Pavard's head injury either, because the French hadn't switched up to that point anyway.
But maybe Trainer Deschamps, together with the medical staff, would have decided otherwise if the opportunity had existed. Questionable...
But what does the whole thing look like in amateur soccer? Is the topic of concussion also present here? And how do you HAVE to react to certain symptoms in order to help your teammate or an opponent?
That is exactly what I would like to find out in a research paper. My name is Florian Härter, I've been playing soccer since I could walk and have been training with B42 for almost 2 years. I would be delighted if you would support me in my work and get more attention to the topic in amateur soccer, because the possible consequences are serious.
Florian Härter is 27 years old and has been addicted to soccer since he was able to walk. The Kiel native is currently writing his master's thesis in the field of sports science on head injuries in soccer.
Florian suffered two cruciate ligament ruptures in his career, which has allowed him to — or must — gain a lot of (own) experience in the area of rehabilitation and prevention.
He has been training regularly with the B42 training app for two years.
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