football
From dpa
April 3, 2024, 2:25 p.m
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ARCHIVE – Raphaël Varane warns of the danger of concussions. Photo: Christophe Ena/AP/dpa
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Paris (dpa). French professional footballer Raphaël Varane would like to see greater sensitivity to concussions in football.
Days before, he had suffered a concussion in at least two of his three worst games, the former world champion told the French sports newspaper “L’Équipe”. “I had lost weight because I was dehydrated. “I wasn’t fit, but I didn’t want to miss the World Cup quarter-finals because I was a little tired,” the former French international recalls before the game against Germany at the 2014 World Cup.
Varane now assumes that there was a connection to the concussions he suffered. He now also assesses the risk differently. “What we will never know is what would have happened if I had received another blow to the head,” he says of the lost game against Germany. “When you know that repeated concussions can be potentially fatal, you tell yourself that this can end very badly. I wasn’t a family man back then, but now, at 30 and with three children, I think about it differently.” He put himself in danger.
Dealing with head injuries and concussions has been an issue in football for some time. The rules keepers of the International Football Association Board (Ifab) decided in March that in the future there could be an additional substitution if a player was suspected of having a concussion. In England, for example, children under the age of twelve should avoid heading the ball if possible.
Varane would like to see more information about the danger of concussions. Headers should be reduced in training sessions. There should be few headers, especially in children’s football. “My seven-year-old son plays football and I advise him not to make headers,” said the Manchester United professional. He himself had to practice headers several times. “I have worn out my body,” says the professional player.
Medical staff should veto players wanting to return to the field shortly after a concussion. For players themselves, the pressure of competition makes it difficult to sit out. “We are in a very competitive environment in which not playing because of a small pain can end badly,” says Varane. “As footballers who are used to playing at the highest level, we are used to the pain.”
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240403-99-548285/2
2024-04-03 19:17:14
#Varane #warns #risk #concussions
