Álvaro Pereira Concussion Controversy: FIFA's 'Barbaric' Safety Protocols Under Fire After Unconscious Uruguay Stars Plays On [VIDEO]

In yesterday’s England vs. Uruguay match a scary moment occurred as the head of Uruguay’s Alvaro Pereira collided with the charging knee of England’s Raheem Sterling, which can be seen in its entirety with commentary here. Be advised though as the sight of the collision as well as Pereira’s reaction is quite unsettling.

Despite accidents like these happening more and more often, the controversy surrounds the fact that the necessary precautions are not being taken afterward. More often than not, the player stays in the game. Ruud Van Nistelrooy stated it perfectly on ESPN’s broadcast after the game when he said that "you need to protect the players from themselves."

That was the case with Pereira yesterday, as he was seen violently shouting at his coach to keep him on the pitch once he saw the team's Doctor trying to substitute him out. Players at the professional level are some of the most competitive people in the entire world, so when you tell them that they need to come out of a game, especially one of this magnitude; it is no surprise that they will use every ounce of energy that they can garner to stay in the game.

It is such a fine line though because of how serious a concussion is. Pereira stated, “After the hit I only recall that I was unconscious for an instant. It was like the lights went out a little bit.” ESPN’s Taylor Twellman made an excellent point when he brought up the term “second-impact syndrome." To summarize it, second-impact syndrome is when someone suffers a second concussion before the symptoms from the first concussion have gone away. This can take minutes, days and even weeks to subside and the result more often than not leads to death or severe disability.

So the question remains, is continuing to play in a game worth risking your life? Because at a certain point it really is a life or death situation. There already have been calls from the world soccer player’s union for FIFA to conduct an investigation into what happened with Pereira and how they can move forward from here on out.

FIFA needs to revise their player safety protocol immediately before this issue becomes bigger than it already is. As a soccer fan or a fan of any sport for that matter, one has to admire the heart it must take for a player to want to continue after suffering a knock like the one Pereira suffered. But one has to also remember that no life is ever worth risking for the sake of a sporting event. Something needs to be done, and it needs to be done soon because sooner or later the consequences of an event like this will reach levels no one would think imaginable.