Clarke very keen to see the introduction of concussion substitutes

ENGLISH FA chairman Greg Clarke hopes concussion substitutes are introduced to the game “as quickly as possible” in the wake of a report which found a higher incidence of neurodegenerative disease among former footballers than in the general population.

The study, which was commissioned by the FA and the Professional Footballers’ Association in November 2017, was published on Monday and was led by consultant neuropathologist Dr Willie Stewart of Glasgow University.

Clarke will present the findings of the ‘Football’s Influence on Lifelong Health and Dementia Risk’ (FIELD) study to the Fifa Council in Shanghai this week, which he will attend in his capacity as a vice-president of the world governing body.

This phase of the report has not looked into why the incidence of these conditions is higher among footballers than the control group but Clarke said on Monday the game needed to understand whether repeated heading of the ball, or a failure to treat concussion properly, were contributory factors.

“One of the things we’re pushing on, and I’ve spoken to Fifa and Uefa about this, is to introduce concussion substitutes as quickly as possible,” he told the Digital Culture Media and Sport committee.

“If anyone has a head injury you don’t just want to have a doctor looking at them quickly and saying ‘you’re OK’ or ‘you’re not OK’.

“You can send someone else on to play while that player is assessed to make sure we move away from time pressure on doctors to make really important health decisions.”

The International Football Association Board discussed concussion at a meeting i n Zurich held today.

Greg Clarke will present findings in Shanghai.