Manchester United star Raphaël Varane has revealed he has unfortunately been suffering from concussion problems for the last decade in a fresh effort to improve protocols around head injuries in world football.
The often-injured Man United and now internationally retired French defender was speaking to sports outlet L’Équipe in an exclusive interview when he detailed that not only has he had to pull out games due to concussion concerns but has played through matches even with head injury symptoms.
Citing instances such as a 2019/20 match for Real Madrid against Man City and fixtures as far back as 2014 when France came up against Brazil in the round of 16, he described his performances as being on “autopilot” and that he was unsure he would have even been able to respond if someone spoke to him.
As for similar experiences since joining United, he described a game earlier this season where he headed the ball multiple times and was feeling “abnormally tired in the following days, as well as having some eye fatigue” before being deemed unfit to play the next match.
🎙️ | Raphaël Varane on concussion protocal in football:
“I know that, personally, I won’t live until 100; I know that I have damaged my body and put myself in danger. By speaking about it, situations can perhaps be better analysed and take decisions based on risks.”
The 30-year-old serial winner explained that although steps have been taken to protect his health down the years, the protocols surrounding potential concussions and injury culture, in general, aren’t quite where they need to be.
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“As footballers playing at the highest level, we are used to pain, we are a bit like soldiers, tough guys, symbols of physical strength, but these symptoms are almost invisible”, says Varane.
“If your leg hurts and you limp, everyone sees it. But with head injuries, it immediately feels weak to say that you are tired, that you have migraines or eye fatigue… So at first, we tell ourselves that it will pass.”
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Varane left the French national team in 2023 to look after his overall fitness and also said he has already advised his seven-year-old son not to head the ball when playing, reiterating that “even if it does not cause immediate trauma, we know that in the long term, repeated shocks are likely to have harmful effects.”
The seasoned centre-back went on to confess that it was only this season that he heard about “The first time I heard about micro-concussions after specialists came in to talk to the United squad about it, adding that most players “don’t understand and we don’t even think about doing a test”.
It was only in December 2022 that football fans were left fuming with the Football Association (FA) themselves for mocking a potentially serious head injury during a cup tie and while things have improved in recent years, it’s clear that there’s still a lot of preventive rework still to be done.
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Fellow footballing legend Alan Shearer has been at the forefront of trying to improve awareness around concussions in football and the links to conditions like CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) as Varane is by no means the first and sadly won’t be the last.
Tommy Fury announces return to boxing after his ‘hardest battle’ yet
Danny Jones
Manc boxer Tommy Fury has announced his return to the ring later this year, although he’s still keeping tight-lipped about some of the finer detailsabout his next fight.
Tommy Fury has been stuck on the sidelines for the best part of the last two years following his last boxing match against influencer and musician KSI, having reluctantly stepped away from boxing through injury and well-publicised personal issues outside of the sport.
He ultimately pulled out of his intended comeback against Darren Till ahead of what looked to be an already fraught face-off, and his been quiet on the competitive front ever since – until now.
Revealing a scheduled date for the next fight, the 25-year-old took to social media to confirm that he will be back very soon but is withholding some of the particulars for now.
Writing in the caption, the younger Fury brother said: “Two years out. One surgery. The hardest battle I’ve faced has been the mental battle of being away from boxing. But I’m back stronger, sharper, and more HUNGARY than ever.”
However, the most notable omission is who he will actually be taking on, i.e. one of the main reasons fight fans would be interested in the first place.
Although many have been left frustrated by the infrequency of his fights due to multiple cancellations, it’s clearly a concerted effort to build anticipation ahead of the event.
Sharing the date for his Budapest bout – which is coming much sooner than many would have expected (Friday, 9 May) – he signed off by adding: “It’s showtime. Let’s go!”
Besides the social media post, the local fighter published a lengthy announcement video/teaser trailer on the official Tommy Fury YouTube channel on Monday night, in which he states, “the contract has literally just been signed as we speak”.
You can watch the feature in full down below:
In truth, the majority of the video is about brand deals, but it does show getting some training done.
Hyping up his undefeated record, with 10 wins to his name thus far in his still fairly fledgling boxing career, he goes on to say he is “over the moon” and ready to get back in business.
Only time will tell whether this fight will actually go ahead as his followers have gotten more than used to seeing his matches postponed or cancelled. First and foremost, who do you think his comeback opponent is gong to be?
His name has mostly been in the headlines due to his high-profile relationship with fellow famous face Molly Mae-Hague.
The couple, who first met on Love Island back in 2019, welcomed their first child, Bambi, back in January 2023 but went on to split up last August. A docuseries covering their struggles dropped at the start of this year.
Featured Images — Screenshot (via YouTube)/Ghazi Twaissi (via WikiCommons)/The Manc Group
Sport
Belle Vue manager warns of former Aces ahead of Premiership clash
Danny Jones
Belle Vue Aces boss and Aussie speedway legend Mark Lemon has warned his side of Oxford Spires’ quality ahead of their face-off in the Premiership, especially as they prepare to come against some ex-ATPI employees.
With a ROWE Motor Oil Premiership round coming up on Monday night (14 April) and the Aces second in the table with five early points total on the board already, the CEO, Director and Team Manager isn’t underestimating the southern opponents.
Even though Oxford have had a tough start to the season, the Manchester racers can’t afford to be complacent, and Lemon has already identified some key threats on the track, including two former Aces.
It’ll be a thrilling night at the National Speedway Stadium (NSS), as always.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼…
♣️ ATPI Aces v Oxford Spires ⛪️ 🗓️ Monday, April 14, 7.30pm. 🏆 Premiership R1. 🏟️ National Speedway Stadium. 🎟️ Get ticket now: https://t.co/DREWNjxB09 🍴 Hospitality: https://t.co/RFS3gcPD99
Speaking on Sunday ahead of the races, the 52-year-old said: “I know it’s a cliche, but there really aren’t any easy meetings in the Premiership.
“We know what Oxford’s riders are capable of; Rohan [Tungate] and Charles [Wright] can be very good at the National Speedway Stadium, and that makes them dangerous.
“When you add in the likes of [Maciej] Janowski, Erik Riss and guest Dan Thompson, [Oxford Spires] are a strong side.”
33-year-old ‘Magic’ Janoswki from Poland is not only a former world number three but has four FIM Speedway World Cup gold medals to his name.
Nevertheless, the Aces have bounced back after a disappointing 50-40 defeat in the KO Cup by Ipswich Witches to record a double over King’s Lynn Stars, with a narrow loss against Leicester still showing plenty of fight and promise for the rest of the campaign.
Belle Vue Aces’ Jaimon Lidsey pushing hard against King’s Lynn – here’s hoping for more of that against Oxford. (Credit: Taylor Lanning)
Lemon went on to assure that he remains confident, however, adding: “We’re settling back into a routine. It was good that all the boys are getting confidence-building scores.
“Zach Cook, Norick Blodorn and Jake Mulford have all started winning key races and scoring well. Tate Zischke is also solving some bike issues.
“As I’ve said before, at this time of the season, it’s about building momentum. That’s the target.”
The Aces get underway against the Spires at the NSS just down the road in Gorton from 7:30pm – best of luck to all those at Belle Vue.
Danny Jones -
2nd April 2024 
