How was he allowed to continue playing?
There was outrage during Senegal’s African Cup of Nations round of 16 match against Cape Verde after Sadio Mané was allowed to continue playing despite being knocked out.
The Liverpool forward was out cold following a collision with the Cape Verde goalkeeper which resulted in him being sent off.
Senegal will be thankful for his goal, but it’s scandalous that Mané wasn’t taken off immediately after he was initially knocked out cold #AFCON2021 pic.twitter.com/4hubL7NVJA
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) January 25, 2022
Vozinha also had be stretchered off as a result of the collision – leaving the island nation with just nine players after their captain Patrick Andrade had been shown a red card in the first half.
To the shock and dismay of many viewers, Mané was surprisingly allowed to continue for a further 10 minutes before gesturing to the bench that he needed to come off with apparent concussion.
During that time, Mané gave his side the lead, but was clearly in not fit condition to play any longer in the game.
Guided off the pitch by doctors, people were left confused and outraged on social media that the Senegal talisman was allowed to play on.
One user tweeted: “From the way he landed (no sticking out of hands to break his fall), I thought #TeamSenegal’s Sadio Mane should not have been allowed to stay on after that head-on-head collision with #TeamCapeVerde’s goalie.”
From the way he landed (no sticking out of hands to break his fall), I thought #TeamSenegal’s Sadio Mane should not have been allowed to stay on after that head-on-head collision with #TeamCapeVerde’s goalie. #AFCON2021
— Wesley Ngongo (@WesleyNgongo) January 25, 2022
Another viewer said: “Totally insane that he stayed on, scored a goal, and THEN was subbed off. Seems like his symptoms were a little more delayed, but that blow looks horrible on video and honestly he should have been subbed off.”
Totally insane that he stayed on, scored a goal, and THEN was subbed off. Seems like his symptoms were a little more delayed, but that blow looks horrible on video and honestly he should have been subbed off right away. #lfc #afcon #sadiomane #concussion https://t.co/UFeUMKR1Fd
— fire eye’d man (@ChiFireEyedBoy) January 25, 2022
Rules state that any player suffering from concussion must be checked vigorously by medical staff and doctors to deem whether or not it is acceptable to let them continue playing. If they do not pass the check, then they are unable to return to the pitch.
Senegal managed to secure their place in the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win, despite Cape Verde’s resilient effort with nine-men, as substitute Bamba Dieng scored a second late on.
Related links:
- AFCON quarter-final moved from Olembe Stadium for safety reasons
- Eight confirmed dead after crush outside of Cameroon AFCON game
- AFCON debutants Gambia make history by progressing to quarter-finals
