LIVERPOOL – Liverpool legend, Ian Rush is furious with what happened to Sadio Mane while defending the Senegal National Team (Timnas) in the last 16 of the 2021 African Cup of Nations. Because he was disappointed with the Senegalese side who did not pull Mane off the field even though at that time the Liverpool player suffered a collision. which is known to cause mild concussion.
For your information, Sadio Mane actually got a hard collision with Cape Verde goalkeeper, Vozhinha, who was finally given a red card in the 53rd minute. But Mane was not pulled out and continued to play the match.
At that time, Mane could still play and managed to score a goal for Senegal in the 63rd minute. Unfortunately, the 29-year-old finally had to pass out and was only pulled off the field seven minutes later.
Ian Rush also expressed his disappointment over the controversial decision. The reason is, Mane’s health could be threatened after being forced to play even though he had just suffered a hard impact.
“It’s very disappointing to see Sadio Mane’s health in jeopardy,” said Ian Rush as quoted by the Daily Mail, Friday (1/28/2022).
Ian Rush feels that every team is obliged to replace their players if they experience a serious head injury. The reason is, this can have a long and fatal impact on the health of players.
“In this day and age, you have to stop anyone from continuing when there is a serious head injury and get them off the pitch even if there is the slightest doubt about their well-being,” continued Ian Rush.
“Player safety must come first, above all else. The mane should have been removed straight after the collision, not five or 10 minutes later. Knowing Mane, he didn’t want to go out, but from a medical point of view it would be the safest option.”
Mane’s incident on the field suddenly fainted made many people feel shocked. Including Ian Rush who doesn’t believe Mane is still allowed to play when he gets a hard hit on the head.
In the end, Senegal managed to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals after a 2-0 win over Cape Verde. In the quarterfinals, Senegal will face Equatorial Guinea on Monday 31 January 2021.
