Brain injury charity Headway has branded Ryan Giggs' claim that Daniel James was acting following an apparent head injury as 'shocking'.
During the first half of Wales' match with Croatia on Sunday night, the Manchester United winger lay prone on the ground following a collision with defender Domagoj Vida, appearing as though he was knocked out, before medics tended to him.
James was down for several minutes and, at first glance, the collision looked to be nasty and of great concern to those around him.
However, following some assessments and treatment, James managed to continue for the remainder of the game.
After the 1-1 draw with Croatia, Wales boss Giggs came out to say that James might have employed some histrionics following the challenge.
"Daniel James went down and stayed down with a bit of acting," the manager told .
"But the medical staff went over, he was compos mentis and we did all the checks at half-time and he was fine."
Giggs went on to say: "I’ve not seen it (the incident). He stayed down. I say about players being smart, he stayed down but he was fine.
"The physio came over but there was no problem and there was no problem.
"He passed the concussion tests at half-time."
Headway, a UK charity which aims to improve life for those who have sustained brain injuries, subsequently took umbrage with those comments and issued a stern warning to Giggs.
They called for both the manager and the player to improve their understanding of concussion and the gravity of such claims.
“Like most people watching the footage of the incident, our immediate concern was for the player’s health," Headway CEO Peter McCabe said. "As soon as the incident occurred, he was attended to by the medics who then determined that he was fit to continue.
“Although it is argued that concussion protocols were followed, the rules state that if a concussion is suspected a player must be removed from the game.
"To all watching, it appeared that Daniel James lost consciousness. Regardless of his manager’s comments after the game, this in itself must surely have given enough reason to take a cautious approach.
“However, Ryan Giggs’ claim that the player was being ‘streetwise’ by staying down and appearing to have been knocked out is shocking.
“If that is the case and James was ‘acting’, it raises serious questions about the player’s understanding of the seriousness of concussion. Not only has he put his own medical team under intense and unfair scrutiny, but he’s also set a dangerous example for the millions watching at home.
“Similarly, we have serious concerns about terms like ‘streetwise’ or that the player was ‘just using his nous’. It is simply not acceptable for teams to use concussion protocols for tactical gain.”
After the match, James clarified the situation, stating he did not lose consciousness following the challenge .
"There was a few tackles flying in but you always expect it in these games," he told Sky Sports.
"I'm fine. I think he just caught me in the head but I didn't get knocked out fortunately."
