A World Cup to be Remembered: Yet the Most Important Issue Lacks Proper Attention

The 2014 World Cup will go down in history as one of the greatest World Cup tournaments ever, for so many different reasons. The tournament displayed everything: attacking soccer at its finest with an average of 2.7 goals per game, Suarez biting his Italian opponent Giorgio Chiellini, the dazzling skills of Neymar and Messi, James Rodriguez proving his worth as a rising star. Upsets. Yellow cards. PKs. Controversial calls. It was all there, and will be talked about for years to come. Except there was one issue that appeared to receive a little bit of attention, but was quickly washed away in the ensuing excitement of the tournament: concussions and proper medical attention.

From the beginning of the Cup this issue was brought to light. During Uruguay’s group stage match against England, Alvaro Pereira was knocked unconscious, clearly suffering a concussion. Yet, as the medical team was assessing him, he shooed them away, as the need to finish the game and fulfill his “warrior” status for his team weighed superior to his health. What player is not going to try and fight to stay on the pitch and play for his country on the biggest stage in world soccer? That’s exactly the problem. The player should not be the one to give the jurisdiction that they are healthy enough to continue playing.  Adrenaline, pressure, nerves and the excitement that a player experiences in the heat of a match contribute to their ability and desire to play through anything, as if they are invincible.

Taylor Twellman, former U.S soccer star whose career was cut short after suffering a serious concussion, was one of many who conveyed the importance of concussion protocol. A prominent analyst and commentator of the tournament, Twellman voiced his opinion on the matter loudly and clearly via television and social media, even tweeting at FIFA president Sepp Blatter,  “Hey ‪@SeppBlatter let me know when you want to address head injuries in our game. Pereira should've been taken off. Has to stop. ‪#URUvsENG” The controversy ensued following the game, with writers, analysts and fans alike discussing the matter and the need for change. Yet, the issue seemed to dwindle down as the tournament progressed, despite the multiple head injuries endured from the group stages to the final.

And on came the World Cup Final, where Germany faced Argentina in a thrilling match that wasn’t settled until extra time, where Mario GÖtze displayed a piece of magic, trapping a ball from André Schürrle on his chest and volleying the ball past Romero into the side netting. Brilliant. And no doubt, the goal dubbed all of the headlines following the game. However, two serious incidents occurred during the game, which continued to be neglected. Concussions.

In the 17th minute, German midfielder Christoph Kramer suffered a heavy blow to the face in a collision with Argentina defender Ezequiel Garay. It was evident to anyone watching that he appeared disoriented and concussed. His medical staff addressed him, yet he continued to play for 14 minutes before being subbed off in the 31^st minute, clearly unable to continue. Gonzalo Higuain also received a serious knock to the head on a collision with German goalie Manuel Neuer, yet received no attention. (video of Higuain can be viewed here) http://thebiglead.com/2014/07/13/gonzalo-higuain-was-leveled-by-manuel-neuer-during-world-cup-final/

The scare of suffering concussions and secondary concussions is not properly addressed by FIFA and continues to present a hazard to players at all levels. The professionals at the World Cup are the role models of millions of young soccer players, who act and base their performance off of their favorite players. So what is a young boy going to do when he gets a concussion in the finals of his local tournament? Pereira played on after getting hit. Kramer played on for a little as well after being knocked in the head. Of course, the boy will probably play on, or at least try to. The ripple effect of the players at the highest professional levels has a serious impact on the youth and rest of the world. For concussion protocol to be effective, it must start at the professional level and be followed in every league and every nation. And for those who protest that this is an unwanted change to soccer and isn’t “traditional”, look at the changes being made in modern soccer. We now have goal line technology, so why not have concussion protocol?

FIFA must take a step in order to alleviate this issue and promote player health and safety as the number one priority. Whether it is a 2-minute test given to a player on the field after suffering a head injury, a temporary substitution or cognitive computer test, something must be done. In a world as technologically advanced as we live in today, there is no excuse why the causes, effects and symptoms of concussions are not properly addressed.