“We have been super aware, for a long time and the case of Cléo made us aware of us a lot at the time too,” said Philippe Bana, about the Guardian of the Blue, who had already had to put his career in parentheses for more than a year in 2023 following a concussion.
On Wednesday, in an interview with the Lorraine Republican, Cleopatre Darleux (Metz Handball) expressed his anger after being touched at the head by a shot in the French Cup against Brest Brittany Handball, the previous weekend. “It happens too often, it is not normal. In rugby, they really examine and there are real sanctions. In Hand, the player is only punishable by two minutes of exclusion, ”deplored the 35 -year -old goalkeeper, who had also called into question the functioning of the concussion protocol.
“We can always improve the device”
The latter, set up in 2019, recalls the signs to alert and force a field outing (headache, loss of knowledge, vision disturbances, etc.). A series of questions and a balance test are also subject to the player to decide or not of his return to the game. An email is then sent to him to encourage him to consult a doctor. “We ask three questions but it is not where we will see that something is wrong,” said Darleux, who had left the field. After having discussed with the interested party, Philippe Bana notably spoke of the possibility of an “immediate outing whatever happens”.
“The idea of saying, as soon as there is suspicion, we get out, is an interesting hypothesis, we must work it and listen to the players anyway,” adds the president, who also exchanged with “the owners of arbitration and the medical commission”. “We can always improve the system,” he says, evoking a more extensive network of doctors for aid for recovery after a concussion, or stronger sanctions.
On this subject, the arbitrators apply “international regulations” which consists in inflicting a yellow card (two minutes of exclusion) for a shot in the head, except on 7 meters jet (red card). “We will plead – with the International Federation – to advance the rule, to increase this punishment, adds the manager, because we must protect our goalkeepers”.
