Fabian Schar played in Newcastle’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday, in his first appearance since his horror head injury for Switzerland in Georgia.
He looked his usual self, after an enforced spell out for suspension allowed him to shake any concussion effects off.
But the player insisted that much of what was said and written about the incident was not true, and that he wants to draw a line in the sand now, and look forward.
According to the Daily Star, Schar said: “For me, I don’t care what has been said. People have written and said stuff but a lot of it is not true.
“There was too much polemic about this. It looked bad at the moment it happened but in the end I was fine and it was not too bad at all.
“I feel really good and it hasn’t affected me at all.
“I have no injury now so hopefully, we can stop talking about this.”
Of course, one of those angry voices was Newcastle legend Alan Shearer, who is an advocate of stronger regulations surrounding head injuries, having done a television documentary on the subject.
Shearer called the decision to let him play on for Switzerland “nonsensical” and called for independent doctors to examine players on the side of the pitch when head injuries occur.
But for Schar, the only focus he now has, is making sure Newcastle remain a Premier League side next season, and that means putting Saturday’s defeat behind them and looking ahead to the next game.
He said: “It’s always disappointing when you a lose a game, and especially when you lose it in the way we lost this one. We conceded a stupid penalty, and they scored from that. We had the better chances so it is frustrating.
“We know we have to score when we have chances, but then on the other side, we also knew how dangerous they are on the counter-attack.
“We had to find the balance. At the end they had two or three counter-attacks, but we did fairly well from our side, and that’s why the final result was such a disappointment.
“We need some more points to get safe, and we want to get them as fast as possible.
“We have to forget the game now and look forward.”
Whether the player felt obliged to support the medical staff of the Swiss national side, or not, concussion is too dangerous and important an issue to be brushed aside.
The player may well say he was fine to carry on, and suffered no effects, but that does not mean that the checks should not have been made first.
What player wouldn’t want to carry on when they feel like they can? It is a natural reaction for footballers. But he does not necessarily know what is best, or what effects he is actually suffering from.
The health and safety of a player is paramount, and must be the top priority, which is why calls for stricter guidelines and procedures, or independent bodies to assess players, must be implemented as soon as possible.
What do you think about Schar’s comments, Newcastle fans? Should he have been allowed to carry on after his injury? How crucial will he be to your side’s run-in after Florian Lejeune’s injury? Let us know below…