International Players Union Calls For Investigation Into World Cup Concussion

The International Federation of Professional Footballers is calling on international soccer’s governing body to investigate its concussion protocols and return to play standards to provide better protections to soccer players at the World Cup and otherwise, the union announced in a statement Friday.

The call for an investigation comes after Uruguayan defender Alvaro Pereira returned to play despite suffering an apparent concussion on the field Thursday evening. Pereira appeared to lose consciousness after taking a knee to the head while attempting a slide tackle during Uruguay’s World Cup group stage match with England. He was briefly taken off the field, but he shook off a doctor’s motions for a substitute or further evaluation and returned to the field. Afterward, Pereira said he was dizzy and that he waved off the doctor in “a moment of madness.”