Manchester, United Kingdom: Temporary concussion substitutes are needed to safeguard players because of the pressure on medical teams to make quick assessments, the English Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) said Monday.
On Sunday, Leeds United’s Robin Koch was substituted 19 minutes after suffering a head injury that needed to be bandaged in a 4-2 loss to Manchester United.
Permanent concussion substitutes have been used in the Premier League for the past year, allowing each side up to an extra two changes.
If players are replaced, they cannot return to the field. In rugby, in contrast, a substitute comes on while an off-field head injury assessment is carried out.
