Tottenham Hotspur’s midfielder Dele Alli helps defender Jan Vertonghen as he leaves the pitch injured during the Uefa Champions League semi-final first leg football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London, April 30, 2019. — AFP pic
But questions remain over the first-half incident against Vertonghen’s former club Ajax, when a clash of heads with teammate Toby Alderweireld left him bloodied and in need of treatment. Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz spoke to Spurs’ medical staff before allowing the defender to return to the field, only for the 32-year-old to quickly go off again.
The Spurs manager said the medical staff would always be the “boss” in such situations and that he would have made the change sooner had he been instructed to. Champions League regulations state: “Any player suffering a head injury that requires assessment for potential concussion will only be allowed to continue playing after the assessment, on specific confirmation by the team doctor to the referee of the player’s fitness to do so.”