Head injury is too serious a subject to be clouded by implications of bad faith. And it doesn’t really matter if Andre Villas-Boas is giving it or taking it. The safety of human beings — in this case goalkeepers and other footballers at risk of brain damage through collisions — must remain paramount.
That the Tottenham manager (above) should harbour resentment over some criticism of the decision to let Hugo Lloris stay on the field at Everton was understandable. That he should defend the club’s doctor and physiotherapist was reasonable if they and Villas-Boas, requiring to make up their minds quickly, formed a conclusion that the Frenchman seemed cogent despite having been dazed when his head clashed with Romelu Lukaku’s knee.
But for Villas-Boas to describe as “incompetent” some of those who insisted the goalkeeper should have been immediately replaced by the substitute, Brad Friedel —they included Professor Jiri Dvorak, FIFA’s medical chief — was ill-advised, especially as he added a possible sideswipe at the Everton player: “I want to believe that Lukaku’s leg was not left late to clash into Hugo’s head.”
The question of “incompetence” reminds us that Villas-Boas’s experience of match situations at the sharp end is limited. He, unlike young Lukaku, has never been a professional footballer, let alone a striker of Premier League and Belgium class who, earlier this season, took a heavy bang on the head while scoring at West Ham and was so dazed afterwards that he had to be told by his club’s physio that his goal had won the match.
“I think he could have jumped over Lloris,” said Villas-Boas. So should evasive action be mandatory? Should all goalkeepers be forced to wear head protection like Petr Cech’s, just to be on the safe side? And what about outfield players? Given a multitude of reports that heading can lead to long-term brain damage, should it be banned? A serious conference is required, not a slanging match.
