The tragic death of an amateur goalkeeper after a collision on the field has reignited the discussion. Shouldn’t goalkeepers wear helmets? Neuropsychologist Erik Matser is convinced that wearing a goalkeeper helmet can save human lives: “The brain cannot withstand shock loads. Anything you can do to reduce that shock load will save lives.”
The goalkeeper of FC Engelen 4 was seriously injured on Sunday afternoon after an unfortunate collision with a player. He was fatally hit on the head. The images of RKC goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen who recently remained completely still on the turf after a hard blow also made a deep impression. The dangers of football have been the subject of discussion for years. The brain foundation already advocated a mandatory helmet requirement for youth goalkeepers in 2018.
Erik Matser is a neuropsychologist and sports doctor with his own outpatient clinic in Helmond. He sees people with brain injuries every day. And according to him, this often includes football players. “Football is a major cause of brain damage. Eighty percent of people who sustain a concussion on the field recover well, and twenty percent continue to suffer for a long time. That is a large group.”
“With such a hard blow, the brain swells and it can be life-threatening.”
He himself worked at the English football club Chelsea in the past, at the time when goalkeeper Petr Cech started wearing a goalkeeper helmet after previously suffering a brain injury. “We were the first to choose to protect the goalkeeper, after doing all kinds of tests in the lab. You have to create a kind of sponge around the head that absorbs the shock.”
Because brains are fragile and they absolutely cannot tolerate being overbearing. “You have to realize that the brain is very soft. Think of it as a buttery-soft substance that is wedged in the skull,” Matser explains. “On the inside of the skull at the front there are razor-sharp structures that the brain rubs against. Such a hard blow causes the brain to swell, which can be life-threatening. The brain cannot withstand such a shock load.”
“I had a brutal battle with FIFA for twenty years to get this on the agenda.”
For years he has had discussions about all kinds of sports, such as skiing, cycling and boxing. With success in all these sports. “But football is persistent. I had a brutal battle with FIFA for twenty years to get this on the agenda. But they have a commercial interest. It gives a negative image to football. If a 9-year-old boy wants to play football and hears that he could suffer brain damage, he will choose another sport.”
He thinks it is nonsense that such a tragic accident would put this subject back on the map. “It is science versus commerce. We have an idea, but if it is not heard and you see that people are injured as a result, that is extremely sad. That is of no benefit to anyone.”
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