Inter Milan's Stefan de Vrij provokes calls for 'culture change' in football

The game was paused on the half hour mark with the Dutch defender requesting treatment after indicating he'd taken a blow to the head.

De Vrij was treated with an ice bag on his head, but as soon as he walked off the pitch, Inter manager Simone Inzaghi ushered him straight back on.

De Vrij then hit the deck again right before half time, and the pattern was repeated, walking off before Inzaghi put him back on.

Ex-Premier League striker Dean Ashton was fuming with the lack of action, comparing football's attitude to other sports.

"They've already taken the risk," he told talkSPORT on commentary. "I watched the rugby union on the weekend, there are people in the stands, they watch a video - if there's been a head clash, you're off!

"There's no 'ifs' or 'buts' or 'do you want to carry on?' De Vrij is still adamant he wants to carry on. He'll want to play in such a big game. As a team, you don't want to be without your best players.

"But, come on, where's the thought process in protecting the players?"

He added: "You could see De Vrij was waving his hand in front of his face as if he's got blurred vision or a bit of dizziness. Surely that tells you enough that there's something not quite right?

"There is this issue we have in football, about whether the player is adamant about carrying on, rather than taking it out of their hands. I don't like to see it.

He continued: "There has to be a big culture change. We've got to look out for the welfare of the players, rather than how important the rest of this half is."