Varane has been suffering with concussion

Would be interesting to see the sport if heading wasn't allowed anymore.
 
Before jumping to any conclusions, has there been a statistically significant occurrence of concussions in football? Are there former players having issues with CTE?

Compared to MMA, Boxing, American Football or Ice Hockey, Football seems relatively safe in turns head trauma?

Wishing Varane a speedy recovery but this situation appears to be extreme rarity among occurrences (unless I am mistaken on data). We cannot change up rules based on extreme one off occurrences.

1 in how many players run risk of suffering concussion by playing high level football? Is there any data out there?
 
BAMSOLA said:
Nah that's the same argument for banning boxing or any other combat sport, you will never be able to free any contact sport from the risks of injury or damage. All you can do is provide as much research as possible and make sure the athletes have as much education as possible on the risks, if they chose to take them as well compensated as they are then so be it. You can't remove risk completely from any walk of life.
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Except boxing and MMA should be banned as they are designed to cause injury and the long term brain injury a huge proportion suffer is horrific. Incidental injury is very different and can/should just be minimised as much as possible.
 
stevoc said:
Me neither, but clearly some people that are, are worried about the effects on footballers brains as a result of years of hitting a ball off their heads.
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The thing with boxing and striking combat sports in general is that when you get hit, you're usually off-guard.

You're not braced for the hit, so you'll often see the head jerk back post impact and if it's a hit bad enough to knock someone down they'll hit the canvas with their head (usually twice). I think that's what really causes the serious damage - you suffer multiple traumas in the space of a second.

I don't know if there is much evidence in football for heading (with the correct technique) causing serious damage, as valid as Varane's concerns are for long term player welfare. What I'd be more worried about is when players compete aerially, and then get taken out - that's when they're blindsided. The way keepers get away with competing for the ball has always been quite dangerous.
 
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Kaush949 said:
Before jumping to any conclusions, has there been a statistically significant occurrence of concussions in football? Are there former players having issues with CTE?

Compared to MMA, Boxing, American Football or Ice Hockey, Football seems relatively safe in turns head trauma?

Wishing Varane a speedy recovery but this situation appears to be extreme rarity among occurrences (unless I am mistaken on data). We cannot change up rules based on extreme one off occurrences.

1 in how many players run risk of suffering concussion by playing high level football? Is there any data out there?
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Yes there are former players having issues with CTEs and as far as I know Football like it is with doping doesn't welcome investigations or any bad news. So the actually extent is unknown, it could be way worse than people think or negligeable.

https://apnews.com/article/soccer-heading-brain-injuries-db83f3b292ee255326b6efdf01d8f9e8

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5674664/
 
Heading the ball is not the main problem here. The accident of a head to head collision is. But yea if we ban heading the ball, then the accidents won’t happen. But what if you ban “dangerous heading of the ball”. It’s like overhead kicks that is too near someone’ head. Or two footed tackles. Or tackle from behind.
 
Rashford has got it right, he always shies away from a headed challenge unless it’s a goal scoring chance
 
Ahmer Baig said:
Or use bowling ball.
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Like this only loaded with bowling balls, that'll harden their skulls.

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Wibble said:
Except boxing and MMA should be banned as they are designed to cause injury and the long term brain injury a huge proportion suffer is horrific. Incidental injury is very different and can/should just be minimised as much as possible.
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Nonsense, you can't remove risk from life its been a large part of human existence for centuries, who is anybody to say to a trained athlete that understands the cost/risks inherent in their chosen sport that they don't have a right to take those risks.

There is a reason why combat sports as well as contact sports are popular and the more you sanitize them the less popular they would become, people are adults they just need the full information to be making informed choices about risk.
 
I wonder if Ronnie has any issue as he was brilliant in the air and to be that good takes a lot of training.
 
I'd love to watch a top level game with heading banned just to see what it would be like, stuff like corners would be completely reworked and probably more technically interesting.
 
BAMSOLA said:
Nonsense, you can't remove risk from life its been a large part of human existence for centuries, who is anybody to say to a trained athlete that understands the cost/risks inherent in their chosen sport that they don't have a right to take those risks.

There is a reason why combat sports as well as contact sports are popular and the more you sanitize them the less popular they would become, people are adults they just need the full information to be making informed choices about risk.
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Except I very very much doubt the vast majority of boxers/MMA fighter do fully comprehend the risk and therefore aren't fully informed participants.

You can't eliminate all risk but you can eliminate sports that are the equivalent of shooting yourself in the head (only more slowly).

Not that we will of course.
 
Skills said:
The thing with boxing and striking combat sports in general is that when you get hit, you're usually off-guard.

You're not braced for the hit, so you'll often see the head jerk back post impact and if it's a hit bad enough to knock someone down they'll hit the canvas with their head (usually twice). I think that's what really causes the serious damage - you suffer multiple traumas in the space of a second.

I don't know if there is much evidence in football for heading (with the correct technique) causing serious damage, as valid as Varane's concerns are for long term player welfare. What I'd be more worried about is when players compete aerially, and then get taken out - that's when they're blindsided. The way keepers get away with competing for the ball has always been quite dangerous.
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Surely every time something travelling at high speed collides with your head your brain get's rattled to some extent?

Some types of headers are worse for this than others of course, as someone pointed out earlier heading away high aerial balls from goalkicks etc is surely the worst.
 
Reading his comments in the article he says that if he didnt say something he probably wouldnt have had the tests for concussion and would have lined up the next games. Well yeah nobody knows you're suffering from concussion - which is serious btw - unless you are communicating that you have symptoms of concussion. Second impact when you have a concussion soon after a previous concussion can have a large effect on your brain. If he has a concussion he shouldnt play but I dont know what he's complaining about having to tell people otherwise there wouldnt be tests or feeling guilt for not playing. He is only making it worse for himself and will be out longer or need to retire sooner if he plays with concussion
 
I wouldn't be surprised if he retires after this season. After what happened in the world cup final, his international retirement, something broke in him
 
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