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Antonio Conte made the wrong call in keeping Gary Cahill on the pitch

By The Pride of London Staff

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 22: Gary Cahill of Chelsea receives medical treatment after his collision with Ryan Mason of Hull City during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Hull City at Stamford Bridge on January 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 22: Gary Cahill of Chelsea receives medical treatment after his collision with Ryan Mason of Hull City during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Hull City at Stamford Bridge on January 22, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) /
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Hull City’s Ryan Mason left the pitch on a stretcher after a brutal head-to-head collision with Gary Cahill. Cahill played the rest of the game, discrediting the Football Association’s concussion protocol and Chelsea’s judgment.

Referee Neil Swarbrick immediately stopped play and called both teams’ medical staffs onto the pitch after Gary Cahill and Ryan Mason collided in mid-air. Swarbrick perfectly handled the decision in accordance with the Football Association’s guidance and regulations on head-to-head collisions.

Ryan Mason’s condition left Marco Silva with no decisions other than who to send on as a replacement. Mason came off on a stretcher, and the medical staff immediately transported him to a local hospital.

As both clubs’ physio staffs worked together to treat Mason, Gary Cahill returned to his feet. Kurt Zouma was warming up and many Chelsea fans expected Nathan Ake to make his second Chelsea debut under unfortunate circumstances.

Antonio Conte decided otherwise, though. Conte and the medical staff seemingly trusted the judgment of a player who just suffered a head trauma about his own ability to continue playing. That flies in the face of common sense, let alone the FA’s supposed concussion protocols.

"Cahill is obviously a tough guy, he’s not going to want to come off. But Cahill’s not in a position to say whether he should be playing or not. That is up to the doctors… Maybe I am not surprised with how sport is played these days that he did not come off. – Daniel Mcclue, The Blue Lions"

Antonio Conte’s decision is equally inexplicable from a basic footballing perspective. Chelsea are deep and strong at centre-back. Kurt Zouma played the full 90 minutes in the FA Cup against Peterborough. Nathan Ake had eight starts this season at Bournemouth and 20 starts last season at Watford. Chelsea recalled him to support the backline, yet when they needed him Antonio Conte chose to keep Ake on the sideline.

"Set aside, if you can, the medical concerns. A player in that situation is going to be more tentative. He may feel a little bit of guilt about sending his fellow footballer to the hospital. Between the mental block and the tentativeness in going up for a header because he is afraid of another collision or is trying to self-protect, it does not make sense to keep him in. – George Perry"

Gary Cahill played the entire game and scored Chelsea’s second goal. But his performance does not change the fact that Antonio Conte made the wrong decision.

The FA’s concussion guidelines are in place to provide medical objectivity and independence in precisely these situations. They are there to protect the players’ health and the medical staff’s judgment from the players’ bull-headedness and the managers’ desire to win (see also: Carneiro, Eva).

Next: Asmir Begovic is a vital insurance policy on Chelsea's title run

Hopefully Gary Cahill spent quality time with the medical staff being fully evaluated post-match. Chelsea’s next match is the FA Cup against Brentford. Antonio Conte has a sound opportunity to rest Cahill and restore John Terry to the on-pitch captaincy for the day.

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