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Now aged 39 and working as an expert in the media for ESPN, the former New England Revolution striker was forced to withdraw from the sport due to multiple concussions following a devastating collision in 2008 with the goalkeeper. Galaxy goal, Steve Cronin.
While he looks back on the injury suffered by Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham in the Champions League semifinal on Tuesday, Twellman, who created a foundation to raise awareness of the dangers of concussions, is troubled by what he says. He saw.
Vertonghen was bloody and stunned after colliding with teammate Toby Alderweireld as the duo challenged Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana for the ball.
"I got sick at the stomach," said CNN, 39, his reaction to the crash and the aftermath.
After being treated in the field for some time, Vertonghen was first allowed to continue playing, before stumbling a few moments later. There, he remained standing and had to be helped on the ground by the basement staff who had just allowed him to resume his place in the match.
"Let's hope nobody will die," said Twellman about what he sees as the troubling record of football's reaction to head injuries.
"Given the amount of education and awareness we have about brain injuries, that of football around the world, where Vertonghen is sent back to the field and in the next 30 seconds he has the It looks wobbly, it seems to faint, it's irresponsible, disgusting, and frankly, it's pathetic that we still have this conversation in 2019. "
Tottenham said his medical team had strictly followed the English Football Association's instructions regarding concussion in care at Vertonghen. In a statement, the club said: "After the tests, he was deemed alert and answered all questions correctly and lucidly, deeming him fit to return to the field of play.
"All available video footage was pbaded on to our medical team in the field and they were able to confirm that it had not suffered any loss of consciousness."
Speaking earlier Thursday at a press conference, the Spurs' manager, Mauricio Pochettino, reiterated his defense of his medical team by stating: "We followed the protocol".
He added, "Our doctor and medical staff performed very well, they were excellent, they followed the protocol and I respect [their decisions] because I think I'm a football professional, not medicine. All decisions concerning health are for the medical staff.
"The ratings on the concussions were negative, so the player was allowed to play, and a few seconds later it was a completely different thing. [started] feel bad. After that, we changed at that time and he was out of the field.
"I think the most important thing for us is and will always be the health of the player.The match, the result, or whether it is the semifinal of the Champions League, the most important, is the player's health.It is our priority always.
"You can ask the referees.They were in Spanish and were talking about the situation.The referee for me was fantastic.
"I would like to congratulate him for his incredible behavior.His priority was the player's health.He said" Mauricio, are you sure that he is fit to play? "I said," Ask the doctor, not me. "" Is the doctor in a position to play? "Yes," ok, between. & # 39; ; "
The club added Thursday in a subsequent statement that Vertonghen had undergone further tests and had consulted an independent neurologist in accordance with the usual procedure, and it had been concluded that the defender had not suffered a concussion. .
The Belgian club said: "The Belgian defender was injured in the nose following a challenge caused by heavy bleeding and was deemed fit to continue playing after a field evaluation. the Football Association were followed.
"Jan was immediately withdrawn because the player had informed the medical staff that symptoms were developing suddenly and that he no longer felt stable standing.We were told that this was the result of". a presyncopal episode, almost fainting. "
Vertonghen will not be available to the Spurs during their Premier League match against Bournemouth on Saturday.
The European governing body, UEFA, which runs the Champions League, also defended the actions of officials and Tottenham's medical staff, declaring: "According to the reports of the officials of the 39; UEFA during the match, the concussion procedure was respected during the match, because the referee immediately stopped the match after the incident.
"The doctor was at no time subject to time constraints from the referee and had time to make a medical badessment.The judgment was longer than the three minutes mentioned in the procedure.
"In accordance with the procedure, before allowing the player to return to the field, the referee has approached the sideline to approach the team doctor, who will Informed that the player was ready to continue and keep the player on the field. "
Football has often been accused of falling behind other sports in the treatment of head injuries, particularly concussions.
In other sports, the case is different. Since the 2015 Rugby World Cup, teams have been able to temporarily replace any player suffering from a head injury.
In English domestic cricket, temporary substitutions were introduced in 2018. Meanwhile, the NFL – a sport long linked to head injuries – offers a "Play Smart, Play Safe". protocol, with doctors monitoring the welfare of the players in the margins using the video
Yet in the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, the German Christoph Kramer was allowed to continue after a heads clash, but was forced by a concussion later in the game.
"Shortly after the coup, Kramer came to ask me:" Ref, is this the final? "," Said La Gazzetta dello Sport, the referee of the World Cup final.
Last year, at the World Cup in Russia, the Moroccan Nordin Amrabat suffered a concussion in a defeat against Iran. He then played five days later under a helmet that he had thrown at the start of the match. After returning from Amrabat, Moroccan coach Hervé Renard called the former Watford player a "warrior".
At the time, the doctor of the Moroccan team, Abderazzak El Hifti, had declared that he had complied with FIFA's recommendations "point by point".
"As long as FIFA does not have their head in the sand and elsewhere, we will always have this conversation," added Twellman. "If FIFA wants to do something and be proactive, then we can talk about a real evolution of sport and real change.
"If we wait for FIFA, we will still wait."
In response to CNN's request, a FIFA spokesman said: "FIFA regularly monitors the head injury situation, maintains ongoing contact with ongoing and ongoing studies on this topic and reviews our protocols.
"As stated in the Concussion module of the FIFA Medical Emergency Manual", if at any stage of the badessment of the concussion, the medical team can not take final decision as to whether or not there is a concussion and if there is doubt, it is recommended if in doubt, sit down the player "and he or she should be removed from the game."
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