Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero was substituted immediately after scoring against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford on Sunday.
James Maddison delivered a clinical free-kick from the left and Romero headed it into the net, putting Spurs ahead in the 11th minute. The goal was given after a VAR check but Ange Postecoglou, the club’s new manager this season, indicated an immediate substitution, asking the Argentine to come off.
Colombian centre-back Davinson Sanchez replaced him as a visibly upset Romero left the field.
Why was Romero substituted by Tottenham?
Romero had a clash of heads with Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo in the 3rd minute and had returned to the field after a brief check by the Tottenham’s medical team. And after the goal, the 25-year-old was replaced initially as a concussion substitute by the manager.
However, it was later officially confirmed that the substitution was not for concussion. Postecoglou said he had no regrets over that decision, but criticised the fact it did not count as a concussion substitute due to the wrong form being given to the fourth official.
“Their (medical team’s) information was that he wasn’t that steady and with his head after scoring, I’m not taking any risks in that scenario in this day and age and what we know of head injuries,” he added.
“The last person you want to be directed by is the player himself. He has no idea. The disappointing thing is that apparently we filled out the wrong form for a concussion sub. That is madness in this day and age. It is pretty clear why we took the guy off. It is black and white for us, we’re not going to take any risks with our people when we know what the repercussions are.”
Romero later took to social media confirming the fact that he is fine. “We tried until the end to win the game but we couldn’t. We will continue working to improve. all together always. I’m fine, just one blow,” he wrote.
What is the concussion-substitute rule in the Premier League?
The Premier League states: “If there are clear symptoms of concussion, or the video provides clear evidence of concussion, the team will be permitted to apply to replace the player with an additional permanent concussion substitution. The substituted player will not be allowed to return to the field of play.”
Premier League sides are allowed two extra substitutions, on top of their allocated five, to replace players suspected of suffering concussion.
It is interesting to note that the FIFA World Cup winner had ended the previous season with an injury and did not play in their last Premier League game against Leeds United.
Tottenham, however, failed to maintain the slender lead with Brentford equalising from the spot, with Mbuemo getting his name on the scoresheet, while Yoane Wissa took the Bees in front with the second, 10 minutes later.
Spurs is looking for a new era under Postecoglou after having a tumultuous 2022-23 season, where it saw three managers in one season, which included Antonio Conte, Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason.
The London-based club finally managed to snatch a point from the game when Emerson Royal lashed in a pass from Maddison in first-half injury time, as the game ended 2-2. “We wanted to go out and give our supporters some hope and belief in the team. I thought they did that today,” the manager said.
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