Sports doctor Dmytro Babeleuk, known for his practice of diagnosing footballers' injuries based solely on television footage, commented on the forced substitution of Kyiv Dynamo defender Taras Mykhavko in the first half of yesterday’s main stage match of the Conference League against English Crystal Palace (0:2).
Taras Mykhavko. Photo — Yu. Yuriev“The way Mykhavko was substituted raises some questions, but it’s good that they at least took him off. Although it wasn’t on the first try.
Was it not clear immediately that the concussion protocol should have been applied and Taras should have been substituted? Why wasn’t the player examined lying on his back, considering the potential neck injury after such a terrible fall?
These are the consequences of the lack of modern training in Ukrainian clubs and national teams regarding on-field assistance, which has long been implemented in Europe, but in Ukrainian reality, this is still very rarely encountered.
Ideally, Taras should have been properly examined immediately after the collision. The player lies on his back, the doctor checks his neck functions above him. Then, if everything is okay, cognitive functions are assessed in a sitting position following the protocol. Questions about where he is, what he is, who we are playing against, neurological tests.
In the meantime, the reserve defender is changing. The examination on the field can calmly last 2−3 minutes, which the referee provides, as this is a matter of the head. This is how it happens in the EPL and other leading championships. The game is paused, the injured player is examined, while everything is communicated to the assistant coach, and simultaneously the substitution is being prepared. Why was there a fuss, a rush, applying ice to the back of the head and even sending him back onto the field — it’s unclear.
In the end, it’s good that they at least took him off the second time after Taras tried to return, but he practically immediately requested a substitution having a significant bruise on half his forehead.
Regarding recovery, after such incidents, the player should undergo rehabilitation for at least 2−3 weeks. But I highly doubt he will miss the national team due to such a concussion. Our communication and care for the health of young footballers are still not developed enough,” Babeleuk wrote in his Telegram channel.
