FIFA is expected to change its head injury protocol today, allowing team doctors to stop play for the injured player to be assessed.

The new policy will allow referees to stop games for three minutes for team doctors to check an injured player. The doctor will then have to give authorization before the referee will allow the player back into the game. The doctor, not the player or the coach, will have the final say as to whether he stays in the game. FIFA hopes the new measures will reinforce the role of team doctors, giving them more authority in concussion management.

Following the high-profile mishandlings of concussions at the World Cup, FIFA has been under enormous pressure to regulate how teams respond to head injuries on the field. In response, a proposal for rule changes was to be brought before the executive committee to be confirmed this week. The two-day meeting began yesterday, so the final decision should be announced soon.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g-forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.