Ami-Doc is heavily critical
“The US is still years ahead of the world in concussion rates”
Denis Zakaria is getting plaudits for his Premier League debut with Chelsea in a 2-0 win against Bournemouth. However, an American doctor is critical – because the national team star was only taken off the pitch in the 82nd minute, despite a possible concussion.
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Denis Zakaria has to be treated on the ground after the collision in the 20th minute.
Christian Finkbeinerfootball boss
The scene occurs in the 20th minute. Defending Denis Zakaria stumbles on a corner and crashes his head into an opponent. The Swiss Nati player lay motionless for more than a minute while being treated by Chelsea’s medical crew. He then gets up with the help of a supervisor, is visibly dazed, but returns to the field shortly thereafter.
For the American brain researcher Dr. Christopher Nowinski an absolute no-go. The CEO and founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation wrote on Twitter: “Here we are upset that Tua (Tagovailoa) continued playing in an NFL game despite showing no signs. In the UK, nobody seems to care that Chelsea’s Denis Zakaria appeared knocked out but came back into play two minutes later.” The conclusion of the former football pro Nowinskis is: “When it comes to concussions, the United States is still years ahead of the world.”
Brain disease in football hardly an issue
In the United States in particular, brain injuries have been a huge topic for years as a late consequence of former NFL players. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE for short, is a progressive degenerative brain disease that can occur after repeated head trauma. The NFL has denied the link between CTE and American football for years. The league only admitted the connection for the first time in 2016.
CTE is hardly an issue in European football. Again and again there are collisions with the head, after which the players continue the game. So does Denis Zakaria. He is only substituted in the 82nd minute. And then praised for his good performance.