Arsenal defender Luiz remained on the pitch until half-time on Sunday after an early clash of heads with Raul Jimenez at the Emirates which left the Wolves striker with a fractured skull.
Former England captain Butcher says with hindsight his most famous hour proved him to be nothing more than a ‘bloody fool’, not the brave Lionheart he thought at the time.
The 61-year-old will forever be remembered for the night in Sweden in September 1989 when a clash of heads just before half-time left him with a blood-soaked shirt and a scar he still bears to this day.
“It was foolish,” Butcher says simply. “It had nothing to do with courage.
“Thinking about it now, the brave thing would have been to come off – which would have been the right thing to do. It is a medical issue, it is not about being a Lionheart.
“You know when it is just a cut. It’s just blood on the shirt, like a boxer might a cut around the eye.
“But you also know when you get a really bang and a strong case concussion.
“It is not about being macho – it is being sensible.
“But it is still the wrong thing to do. What if he gets a blood clot? That’s why there are protocols in place and the medical staff have to be the ones to decide.”
Source – Daily Star
