Wales manager Ryan Giggs and winger Daniel James have been criticised by brain injury association Headway after the Manchester United star "acted" as though he was concussed in Sunday night's draw with Croatia.
James lay prone on the turf following a collision with Croatia defender Domagoj Vida in the first half of the Euro 2020 qualifier at the Cardiff City Stadium, which finished 1-1.
After undergoing the concussion protocol and being escorted off the pitch by Wales' medics, James swiftly returned to the action and went on to play the full 90 minutes.
After the match as though he had been knocked out in order to take some time out of the game as his side struggled, with Croatia leading 1-0 at the time.
James also confirmed that he wasn't concussed.
Headway chief executive Peter McCabe hit out at the duo in a statement .
“Like most people watching the footage of the incident, our immediate concern was for the player’s health," he 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.”
