Premier League agree concussion substitutes trial

London [UK], January 20 : Premier League on Wednesday announced that it will trial the use of concussion substitutes during matches, however, no start date has yet been announced.
With player welfare the Premier League's priority, the protocols will allow a maximum of two concussion substitutes to be used per team, with the opposition side able to use the equivalent number.
"Premier League Shareholders today formally agreed to introduce the International Football Association Board's (IFAB) additional permanent concussion substitutions trial. The trial will be confirmed when the implementation of the reporting processes, including private medical information, has been resolved with IFAB and FIFA," Premier League said in a statement.
The additional concussion substitutions may be made regardless of the number of substitutions a team has made already.
The trial is a result of the IFAB's consultation with stakeholders and recommendations from their concussion expert group to allow additional substitutions for players with an actual or suspected concussion.
The decision comes after increased coverage of the long-term impact of head injuries in football, with Sir Bobby Charlton among a number of former players having been diagnosed with dementia linked to heading the ball during his career.
This season, Wolves striker Raul Jimenez suffered a fractured skull following a collision with Arsenal defender David Luiz. The Brazilian centre-back continued playing until half-time after the incident in the fifth minute, despite visibly bleeding from the head.