ALAN SHEARER has criticised Tottenham for their handling of Jan Vertonghen’s head injury — and called on Uefa to bring in proper measures.
The bloodied Spurs defender was assessed for a suspected concussion after clashing with team-mate Toby Alderweireld in Tuesday night’s Champions League defeat to Ajax.
Tottenham medical staff then amazingly allowed Vertonghen back on to play, only for the Belgian to stagger off seconds later in clear discomfort.
SunSport columnist Shearer, who studied football head injuries for a BBC documentary in 2017, admits he was appalled at the incident.
And he has renewed his calls for independent doctors to start ruling on suspected concussions before a player “learns the hard way”.
England and Newcastle legend Shearer said: “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was scary.
“The guy could barely walk. He was covered in blood and staggering around.
“How can it be OK for a guy to go back on to the pitch in the condition he was in?
“Uefa have to stop this happening again.
“If anyone ever needed more evidence why we should have — and have to have — independent doctors, then that was it.
THINGS MUST CHANGE
“An independent doctor would have taken one look at him, seen he could barely walk and was hugely uncomfortable, and they wouldn’t have let him on. How many more lessons do we need?
“That match is being shown around the world to millions of people. But it doesn’t matter if it is Sunday League, League One, the Premier League or a Champions League semi-final, he should not have been allowed back on the pitch.
“Manager Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham followed the protocols but I don’t know how that can be the case.
“If there is any doubt whatsoever, a player should not be allowed back on a football pitch.
“And you cannot tell me that he was absolutely 100 per cent right to go back on to that pitch.
“Not when he had to come off again 40 seconds later and needed support to stand up, let alone run around.
“The ref was quite clearly trying not to let him on again — and I’ve never seen a ref do that.
“Things have to change otherwise someone will learn the hard way.
“As it is we may already be too late for some who have been affected in years gone by.”
EPA
