Fifa medical chief Michel D’Hooghe yesterday supported Chelsea’s conduct over the head injury sustained by Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

And he insists team doctors are best placed to assess their own players despite undoubted performance pressures.

Courtois was substituted in the first half of last Sunday’s match with Arsenal, but only after playing on for 13 minutes after sustaining a knock to the head in a challenge with Alexis Sanchez.

“In the case of Chelsea, I think sincerely that the team doctor did a correct examination,” D’Hooghe said.

“She (Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro) came to a conclusion that he could go on, but she kept an eye on him and from the moment he didn’t feel well — and that can happen in the case of concussion — they took again the right decision to take him off.”