Dutch soccer player Daniëlle van de Donk wore a swim cap late in Thursday’s Women’s World Cup match against the United States ― and it wasn’t for style points.
Robin Alam/USSF via Getty Images
She and U.S. midfielder Rose Lavelle collided late in the eventual 1-1 tie, prompting van de Donk to bleed noticeably from her head.
She said the medical team arrived and she heard “swim cap! swim cap!” Despite her “No!” van de Donk relented, she said in an interview posted by ESPN.
“It’s bleeding too much so I couldn’t continue the game without it,” van de Donk said, per USA Today.
“Plus, it’s fashionable,” she said with a laugh.
But the Concussion Legacy Foundation was not amused by the medical staff’s actions.
“This calls for a legitimate concussion evaluation,” the foundation wrote. “At least a temporary substitution. Not a swim cap and a pat on the back.” (Teams are given a concussion substitution beyond the regular allotment of five substitutions but none of them is temporary.)
Netherlands medical staff cleared Daniëlle van de Donk to return as she bled from a tough head to head collision.
This calls for a legitimate concussion evaluation. At least a temporary substitution. Not a swim cap and a pat on the back. #WWC2023 pic.twitter.com/MKo4jZv838
— Concussion Legacy Foundation (@ConcussionLF) July 27, 2023
Van de Donk also went viral for an earlier hit on Lindsey Horan that stoked the American’s anger and desire to score.
A short time later, Horan headed in the equalizer.
