Vertonghen played through dizziness for nine months

THE SHOCKING reality of concussion in football has been laid bare by former Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen. In a chilling interview, the 33-yearold revealed that he played through symptoms to earn a new deal with the club following a head collision with his then team-mate Toby Alderweireld. Vertonghen, who stayed on the field but was later substituted, continued to feel the effects for nine months. The defender, now of Benfica, and Alderweireld collided during Spurs’ Champions League semi-final home defeat by Ajax last year, when they challenged keeper Andre Onana for a high ball (right). ‘I suffered a lot from that hit, dizziness and headaches,’ he told Belgium’s Sporza TV. ‘I should not have continued playing. It affected me for nine months and that’s why I couldn’t bring what I wanted to on the field. ‘I just didn’t know what to do. It was game after game and training session after training session. ‘Every time there was a new impact. Then the lockdown came and I was able to rest. After that it was a lot better. ‘At that moment, I couldn’t go on any more. I had only one year left on my contract, so I had to play. But when I played, I played badly.’ The news comes with Premier League clubs set to give the green light this week to the use of permanent concussion substitutes for the second half of the season. As part of Sportsmail’s campaign for football to tackle its dementia scandal, we are calling on the International Football Association Board to bring in temporary substitutions, which would allow a ten-minute period of assessment to take place.