The decision to allow Sadio Mane to play on after suffering a head injury at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) has been condemned as “sickening” by brain injury association Headway.
The Liverpool forward scored the opening goal in Senegal’s 2-0 win over Cape Verde, but had earlier clashed heads with Vozinha. The goalkeeper was sent off following the incident but later visited Mane in hospital.
Accusing football of “putting results ahead of player safety,” Headway’s chief executive Luke Griggs said: “This was a sickening collision that clearly left both players in enough distress for a concussion to have surely been considered a possibility at the very least.
“At that point, the principle of ‘if in doubt, sit it out!’ should have resulted in Mane being substituted without another ball being kicked.”
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“The image of the player collapsing on the ground and having to be helped from the pitch after scoring his goal should tell you everything you need to know about the impact and the effect it had had on his brain,” Griggs added.
“Yet again, the desire to win is seen as being worth serious risks to players’ health. It is simply shocking that this continues to happen.”
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Sadio Mane plays on for 16 minutes after suffering head injury playing for Senegal25 January, 2022Last year, the International Football Association Board (Ifab) recommended the introduction of concussion substitutions following consultation with medical experts and national associations, allowing teams to bring on an additional substitute if needed to facilitate immediately replacing players with a suspected concussion, but it has not been fully adopted across the game.
The 29-year-old later posted a photo of himself recovering in a hospital bed alongside Vozinha, joking: “Senegal vs Cape Verde in the pitch, in the hospital. Everything is fine – thanks very much for the messages”.
Mane is expected to be back for Liverpool’s next Premier League game against Leicester on 10 February after the conclusion of the tournament.
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