Fifa is reviewing its relationship with the global sports concussion organisation it helps fund amid allegations of plagiarism against its former co-chair, the influential neuroscientist Dr Paul McCrory.
A week after McCrory tendered his resignation from the Concussion in Sport Group, football’s world governing body has joined World Rugby in putting distance between itself and the protocols the Australian academic has helped shape in a multitude of sports including the NFL, the Football Association and the AFL.
“It is with great concern that Fifa has taken note of the resignation of Professor McCrory from the Concussion in Sport Group (CISG),” Fifa said in a statement issued to the Guardian. “Given the seriousness of the situation, Fifa is currently analysing the work of the Concussion in Sport Group (CISG) as a whole in order to decide the best way forward.
“Generally speaking, Fifa is fully supportive of the tools and information that has come from the consensus statements made by the CISG and it will continue to ensure these tools are freely available to all who wish to use them.”
McCrory, a divisive figure who has previously described concussion among NFL players as “overblown,” was the lead author on four of the last five Consensus Statements on Concussion in Sport, from which Fifa and myriad other organisations draw their concussion guidelines and assessment protocols. That includes the standardised SCAT5 tool used by doctors to evaluate head injuries in athletes aged 13 and over.
But the CISG was embroiled in controversy this month after the British Journal of Sports Medicine retracted a 2005 editorial written by McCrory, the publication’s theneditor, citing an “unlawful and indefensible breach of copyright” of the work of Professor Steve Haake.
McCrory said the “error” occurred because an unfinished and unreferenced draft had been accidentally uploaded. Since then, an analysis of 10 pieces suggests he may have copied other work without proper attribution. It leaves the CISG on shaky ground with its benefactors, which include Fifa, World Rugby and the International Olympic Committee, along with the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, the FIA and the International Ice Hockey Federation.
Even before the McCrory allegations it faced criticism about alleged conflicts of interest, while its latest consensus statement, of which McCrory was the lead author, does not acknowledge “a cause-and-effect relationship” between chronic traumatic encephalopathy and repeated concussion or sub-concussive impacts. Last year, a group of academics, researchers, clinicians and carers argued the process has consistently underplayed the risks.
Since the plagiarism allegations surfaced, World Rugby has also distanced itself from McCrory, emphasising its independence and “individualised” case-by-case approach to return-to-play time frames. On Monday it “noted with concern” McCrory’s resignation.
“World Rugby can confirm that Professor McCrory has not been involved in any concussion projects or research undertaken by World Rugby and he has not been involved in any concussion working group that shapes policy for the sport in this important area,” it said in a statement.
“Rugby’s graduated return to play protocols (GRTP) are backed by scientific research and are guided by our Independent Concussion Working Group. Our GRTP is not based on the opinions of any one group or individual.
“Given the seriousness of the allegations, World Rugby, guided by its Independent Concussion Working Group, is working with fellow founding sponsoring sports to investigate and identify any necessary governance measures required to better support the future of the Concussion in Sports Conference.”
It is understood World Rugby may yet seek a more active role in CISG’s operations in exchange for its continuing support. Fifa, for its part, has recently taken some long-overdue steps in an attempt to mitigate the risk of head injuries in football.
New protocols authorised by the Ifab at the end of 2020 allow for one or two permanent replacements to be brought into a match, over and above regular substitutes, if doctors believe a player could have concussion.
It trialled a one-substitute protocol at the Club World Cup in Qatar while the Premier League, FA Cup and Women’s Super League have implemented a two-substitute policy, but so far many of Fifa’s 211 member associations have opted against it.
At this year’s World Cup, concussion spotters will be introduced to identify from the stands possible brain injuries.
