Aspetar study on concussion prompts review of FIFA protocol

The decision taken by FIFA on reviewing its protocol for concussion injuries during the FIFA Club World Cup matches that will be held in Qatar next month constitutes a great victory for the Aspetar orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital in the Qatari capital, Doha, which has previously submitted a study on players who suffered concussion injuries during games.

FIFA announced new additional changes that will be made for the teams participating in the Club World Cup, in the event of suspected concussion injuries.

The international study prepared by the medical staff at Aspetar concluded that concussion caused by sports injuries is one of the most common injuries in the sporting world, citing injuries to some players during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. This included Argentina’s Álvaro Pereira, his compatriot Javier Mascherano, and Germany’s Christoph Krams, who lost consciousness due to a hard blow during his side’s match against Argentina.

These incidents were cited as examples of cases when players returned to the field without having undergone the necessary head injury assessments.

In the interest of the safety and well-being of athletes, Aspetar is committed to providing such studies and taking the initiative to provide evidence-based care to all athletes in Qatar.

FIFA has made it clear in a statement that it aims to give priority to this matter in the interest of players, and that it will be possible to replace those who suffer a concussion, regardless of if a team has already used up its maximum five substitutions,