Clarke Carlisle: 'Hugo Lloris should have been forced off'

Former PFA chairman Clarke Carlisle feels that Hugo Lloris should not have been allowed to make his own choice about staying on the pitch after he suffered a head injury in Tottenham Hotspur's 0-0 draw with Everton on Sunday.

The Spurs keeper went down after he was accidentally kneed in the head by striker Romelu Lukaku, but eventually opted to remain on the field after receiving medical attention.

However, Carlisle, who has long been a campaigner for better mental health awareness amongst footballers, feels that the well-being of the players should be paramount, and said that the choice should not have been the French keeper's to make.

"That decision [to keep Lloris on] should be taken out of his hands and out of his manager's hands," he told the Daily Mail.

"Lloris was brave, loyal and committed, but that is the passion of the moment. There is a responsibility that overrides all of those emotions and that is the health of the individual.

"Their judgement is naturally clouded, whereas there are medically trained staff who should have the power and ability to make that decision for them. It shouldn't be anything to do with the people who have a vested interest in the result."

The PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor slammed Spurs for their handling of the situation.

Written by
Paul Gorst