Bournemouth defender Adam Smith has shared his ideas for potential Premier League rule changes.
In a feature from Sky Sports, Bournemouth’s Adam Smith is among the Premier League stars to have suggested rule alterations they’d like to see come into effect in the division.
The subject of VAR is inevitably raised, and Smith suggests that additional transparency would help with the implementation of the technology. The 32-year-old says, “do you know what I’d love? To hear the VAR. The referees being mic’d up, and the conversations between the referee and the VAR on how they get to those decisions. To be able to hear that, for the supporters and the players, will help us understand why they’ve come to that decision.”
Adam Smith highlights dangerous oversight
Fans have been divided on VAR since its introduction to the Premier League. Whether Smith’s suggestion would help to settle the debate around it is questionable. However, the Cherries’ right-back continued on to a more serious point by calling for “an independent doctor when players clash heads. I think some of the club doctors get influenced by the managers or certain players…it’s dangerous.”
Head injuries in football have been a fiercely debated subject for some time. The notion that such serious medical decisions are being influenced by players and managers is troubling. Smith’s warning ought to be heeded, and his concerns addressed, as the consequences could be severe.
The current lack of an independent doctor to conduct concussion protocol is a dangerous oversight that needs to be rectified.