Sadio Mane: Senegal criticised after striker plays on despite suspected concussion

Vozinha and Sadio Mane clash heads
Vozinha and Sadio Mane both needed treatment after their clash of heads in the second half

Sadio Mane was playing despite suffering a suspected concussion in a sickening collision with Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha.

Despite appearing to have suffered a head injury in the incident, he remained on the pitch for several minutes.

The goal scorer was eventually substituted.

Headway said that his health had been put at risk.

On the face of it, this seems to be yet another example of football putting results ahead of player safety.

This was a sickening collision that left both players in distress for a concussion to have surely been considered a possibility at the very least. The principle of "if in doubt, sit it out!" should have led to the substitution of Mane without another ball being kicked.

Vozinha had to be helped off the pitch after he was sent off for the challenge.

Even though he seemed to lose consciousness in the incident, he remained on the pitch. He scored an excellent goal six minutes later, before laying down on the halfway line.

He was taken off.

The image of the player collapsing on the ground and having to be helped from the pitch after scoring his goal should tell you everything you need to know about the impact and the effect it had on his brain.

The desire to win is seen as being worth serious risks to players health. It is shocking that this continues.

This is now a real test of leadership for The Confederation of African Football (Caf) and world governing body Fifa - particularly if they decide that Mane is fit to play on Sunday.

If football wants to be taken seriously when it comes to concussion, it must take action to strengthen its protocols.

The doctor for the team said that after scoring, he had to be removed from the pitch because of the vertigos he had.

We decided to take him to the hospital for a brain and bone Scan which did not show any injuries. We went to the hotel after leaving the hospital. He feels well for now.

The symptoms he had on the pitch were gone. We will see how he feels in two days.

He needs to rest and come back to training.

When a player goes off injured, it is normal for the medical team to speak to the international squad, though it is also normal for the medical team to have regular contact with the squad.

The captain of the team denied that the health of the player had been put at risk.

It was not risky at all. The defender said that it was him who scored the goal.

He was a bit confused after the goal so we replaced him. I asked him if he wanted to leave the pitch, but we preferred to replace him to avoid taking any risk.