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Chelsea correct over Courtois - FIFA doctor

Tony O'Brien / Action Images

LONDON - Chelsea observed correct procedures when they allowed goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to continue playing after he sustained a head injury, FIFA's chief medical officer Michel D'Hooghe said on Thursday.

Courtois hurt his head in a heavy collision with Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez during Chelsea's 2-0 Premier League win on Sunday and although he played on after being assessed, he was forced off 14 minutes later.

New Premier League rules introduced this season mean players suspected of having lost consciousness have to be substituted, but D'Hooghe said Chelsea's first-team doctor Eva Carneiro had handled the situation correctly.

"I think sincerely that, first of all, the team doctor, the lady of Chelsea, did a correct examination," he told journalists at the Leaders Sport Business Summit in London.

"She came to the conclusion that he could go on, but she kept an eye on him and from the moment he didn't feel well -- which can happen in concussions -- they took the right decision to take him off."

Belgium international Courtois, 22, was subsequently taken to hospital, but he was given the all-clear on Monday after receiving treatment for a minor cut on his ear.

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