Baumann Says Concussion Shows Soccer Referees Need to Act Faster on Head Injuries

FILED - 26 April 2025, Baden-Württemberg, Sinsheim: Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann reacts to an injury during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1899 Hoffenheim and Borussia Dortmund at PreZero Arena. Photo: Uwe Anspach/dpa
FILED - 26 April 2025, Baden-Württemberg, Sinsheim: Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann reacts to an injury during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1899 Hoffenheim and Borussia Dortmund at PreZero Arena. Photo: Uwe Anspach/dpa
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Baumann Says Concussion Shows Soccer Referees Need to Act Faster on Head Injuries

FILED - 26 April 2025, Baden-Württemberg, Sinsheim: Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann reacts to an injury during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1899 Hoffenheim and Borussia Dortmund at PreZero Arena. Photo: Uwe Anspach/dpa
FILED - 26 April 2025, Baden-Württemberg, Sinsheim: Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann reacts to an injury during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1899 Hoffenheim and Borussia Dortmund at PreZero Arena. Photo: Uwe Anspach/dpa

German goalkeeper Oliver Baumann has been diagnosed with concussion after an incident which he says shows referees need to act swiftly to cut the risk of players suffering head injuries.

Baumann was playing for Hoffenheim on Saturday in the German Bundesliga when he collided with Borussia Dortmund midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, who was sprinting toward Baumann's goal.

Chukwuemeka's knee struck Baumann in the head but the referee didn't stop the game, The Associated Press reported. Seconds later, Dortmund's Waldemar Anton scored the decisive goal for a 3-2 win as Baumann staggered about the penalty area in a daze.

“My diagnosis clearly shows that on the field it's all about the safety of the players,” Baumann said Wednesday. He argued players could be at risk of further injury in similar incidents if referees don't stop the game immediately.

“Therefore, in the interests of player health, there should be no disagreement about stopping the game immediately when there's a possible head injury, regardless of what the game situation looks like at that moment.”
Baumann, who is Hoffenheim's captain and a German national team player, had a “large, severely swollen laceration” to his head and was dazed after the incident, the club said, adding that concussion was diagnosed following tests at the hospital. He has been ruled out of Hoffenheim's game at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.



Club World Cup Will Be Bigger than Champions League, Says Chelsea’s Colwill

Chelsea FC #6 Levi Colwill celebrates with teammates after winning the FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium on July 13, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Getty Images / AFP)
Chelsea FC #6 Levi Colwill celebrates with teammates after winning the FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium on July 13, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Getty Images / AFP)
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Club World Cup Will Be Bigger than Champions League, Says Chelsea’s Colwill

Chelsea FC #6 Levi Colwill celebrates with teammates after winning the FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium on July 13, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Getty Images / AFP)
Chelsea FC #6 Levi Colwill celebrates with teammates after winning the FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium on July 13, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Getty Images / AFP)

Chelsea defender Levi Colwill said the Club World Cup will be bigger than the Champions League after his side beat European champions Paris St Germain 3-0 in the final in New Jersey on Sunday.

The quadrennial competition will return in 2029, which will be the second edition under the expanded format with 32 teams.

"This is the biggest trophy I've ever won. I think the Club World Cup will be bigger than the Champions League and we were the first team to win it," the 22-year-old Colwill said.

"I've really enjoyed it, playing games every four or five days. Playing to sold-out stadiums, playing against different teams who you would never normally get a chance to play."

The England international said Chelsea would carry the momentum forward having beaten a phenomenal PSG side who had conceded only one goal in the tournament before the final.

"I said at the start of this tournament that our plan is to win it and people looked at me as if I was crazy. So I'm going to say the exact same thing now going into the Premier League and Champions League," Colwill said.

Chelsea have won the Champions League twice, in 2012 and 2021.