The FIFA reported that in the next Club World Cup, to be held in Qatar from February 1, will begin to test a sixth additional and permanent change, exclusively for cases of actual or probable concussions. In this way it will become the first international competition in which it is put into consideration to evaluate the results.
True to its style, before modifying any interpretation or change in the Laws of the Game, FIFA has proceeded to create a protocol for an additional change to the five in force. Under the name of “Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT5)” aims to send a strong message to the doctors and the player, who, in case of doubt, should withdraw when they suffer a concussion during the match due to head collisions or a similar impact, thereby reducing pressure on the medical corps so that it is not forced to carry out a rapid evaluation without the appropriate means.
This test that will take place in the Club World Cup, which will be played during the first half of February in Qatar, tries to prevent the player from suffering a second concussion during the match, which could have very serious consequences. In addition, it highlights that the player will leave the game to protect his health, but that will not be a numerical or tactical disadvantage for his team.
The modification is simple to operate and can be applied at all levels of football, including those categories where there are no qualified doctors or medical personnel on the pitch.
The decision was made after careful consultation with groups of concussion experts, team doctors, player representatives, coaches, competition organizers, referees and experts on the Laws of the Game. This benefit can only be applied once per team and throughout the game.
FIFA has invited national member associations and confederations (through their federations) to join that wish to participate in trials similar to the one in Qatar. Then the experiences will be collected to arrive at a more complete evaluation and add fundamentals to give it the final approval.
On January 20, the Premier League had already agreed to introduce additional substitutions for concussions in its competitions.
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