LONDON — Tottenham Hotspur insisted Monday Hugo Lloris was fit to play on following a head knock at Everton after the club came under fire for not substituting the France captain. Spurs were criticized by FIFA's medical chief and player welfare organizations for letting Lloris remain on the field when ‘concussed' following a collision with Everton's Romelu Lukaku during the closing stages of Sunday's goalless Premier League draw at Goodison Park. But a Spurs statement issued Monday said: “The club can confirm that Hugo Lloris underwent a precautionary CT scan and was given the all-clear and travelled back to London last (Sunday) night. “The France goalkeeper suffered a knock to the head following a collision with Everton forward Romelu Lukaku in the closing stages of yesterday's (Sunday's) Premier League encounter at Goodison Park and was cleared to resume playing after examination by the club's medical team.” Tottenham's head of medical services, Wayne Diesel, added: “Once the relevant tests and assessments were carried out we were totally satisfied that he was fit to continue playing.” Earlier, Professor Jiri Dvorak, global football governing body FIFA's chief medical officer, told Britain's Press Association: “The player (Lloris) should have been substituted. “The fact the other player (Lukaku) needed ice on his knee means it's obvious the blow was extensive. “It's a 99 percent probability that losing consciousness in such an event will result in concussion.” After the match, Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas said Lloris wanted to play on but added: “He doesn't remember it so he lost consciousness. It was a big knock but he looked composed and ready to continue.” However, Luke Griggs — a spokesman for brain injury charity Headway — said: “We are hugely concerned that a professional football club should take such an irresponsible and cavalier attitude to a player's health.” There was a four-minute delay — which contributed to nine minutes additional time in all — but Lloris indicated he was ready to play on. Although the collision appeared to be accidental, Lukaku was booked for the challenge and his knee was iced after he came off shortly afterwards. Spurs captain Michael Dazwson told the BBC he thought Lloris was going to go off. “He took a really bad whack and I was worried when he went down and stayed down. When he got up his legs gave way but he stayed on and made two good saves,” Cardiff beats Swansea Cardiff won the first Welsh derby in Premier League history by beating Swansea 1-0 thanks to Steven Caulker's second-half header Sunday. The defender, who previously spent a season on loan at Swansea, met Craig Bellamy's 62nd-minute corner with a powerful, downward header to settle a frenetic match at Cardiff City Stadium. The victory lifted Cardiff four points clear of the bottom three — and above Swansea — in the standings.— Agencies
