The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Vertonghen concussion ruled out after tests
Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen did not suffer a concussion during Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final firstleg defeat to Ajax.
The club said in a statement that, after an assessment with an independent neurologist yesterday, concussion had been ruled out.
The Belgium defender suffered a sickening head injury in the Ajax clash and – after briefly trying to return to action – retched on the side of the pitch and had to be helped down the tunnel, barely able to walk unaided.
The decision to allow Vertonghen to come back on has sparked a debate about concussion protocol, even though Spurs say their defender passed all relevant tests – and their treatment and actions have been backed by Uefa.
Vertonghen came through further tests on Wednesday and an independent specialist has also ruled that concussion was not suffered, though did advise a short rest, making him unlikely to play in the Premier League game at Bournemouth tomorrow
A club statement said: “Following a thorough review over the past 48 hours by our medical staff as well as by an independent neurologist with special interest in sport-related concussion today, it has been concluded that Jan Vertonghen did not suffer a concussion during Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Ajax.
“The Belgium defender suffered an injury to his nose due to a challenge during the game which resulted in heavy bleeding. He was deemed fit to continue playing after an on-field assessment. All Football Association concussion guidelines were followed.
“Jan was immediately withdrawn as a result of the player informing medical staff that symptoms were developing suddenly and that he no longer felt stable standing up.
“We have been advised that this was the result of a presyncopal episode, a near faint.
“The specialist has recommended that the player undertakes a brief period of rehabilitation before returning to training.”
Brain injury charity Headway has since called for ‘concussion substitutions’ to be used to allow medical staff more time to assess injured players – an idea that Fifa is open to discussing.