There’s a growing number of former footballers who are naturally concerned about the long list of former players who are suffering from dementia. A serious question must now be asked of the football authorities after so much research has gone into this uncomfortable link. Is football heading for trouble?
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Dementia and Football: The Game is Heading for Trouble
Can Football-Related Brain Injuries Be Regarded as an Industrial Injury?
As a former footballer, I have come to accept that I am three-and-a-half times more likely to develop dementia than the rest of the population of the same age. When I read about the growing number of former footballers who are struggling with this dreadful condition, I do wonder if we are slowly getting to the stage where football-related brain injuries will be regarded as an industrial injury.
Sir Alex Ferguson Expresses His Serious Concerns
Sir Alex Ferguson has added his name to a campaign for the Scottish government to look into this serious matter. The game is littered with former players who have all succumbed to this tragic illness. Former England internationals Sir Bobby Charlton, his brother Jack, Nobby Stiles and Jeff Astle to name just a few were all diagnosed with some form of dementia before their deaths. A host of other prominent England internationals have battled Alzheimer’s or dementia including Stan Mortensen, Joe Mercer, Nat Lofthouse, Stan Cullis and Dave Sexton.
More recently, former Manchester United defender Gary Pallister and former Newcastle United man Steve Howey have expressed their fears about the potential harm to their health and what could be on the horizon for them. Having seen several of his close friends and colleagues suffer from dementia, Sir Alex admits the degenerative brain disease has started to frighten him. He said: “I’m eighty-two, obviously I worry about it. My memory is quite good, pray the Lord it’ll stay that way.”
Family of Celtic’s Greatest Ever Captain Make Powerful Statement
Billy McNeill, captain of the famous Lisbon Lions, the first British side to win the European Cup, was a family friend before he became my manager at Celtic. On a few occasions, I would visit Billy in his care home and see up close the devastating effect this condition would have on every aspect of his life and the pain and suffering endured by his family. The McNeill family made a powerful statement after his death. “Our dad’s life was football. He loved everything about it, and we are sure he would not have changed anything. However, the sacrifice for his great career was seeing him suffer terribly for many years later in life. Dementia took away our father’s ability to communicate, to function and ultimately led to his death.”
Dementia and Football: Knowledge is The Key
My own view is that had I known when I started out in my footballing career at the age of nineteen that repeatedly heading the ball in training as well as competitive games for the following sixteen years would put me at a greater risk than the general public, I would still have chosen to play the game professionally. But I’m convinced others would choose differently. The more informed people are about potential risks, the better. It is also true to say that because of my sixteen-year lifestyle as a footballer, training regularly and being in good physical shape means that I may avoid certain heart diseases and some cancers that are more prevalent in other walks of life.
Various Authorities Aware of the Need for Financial Support for Families
While further studies are required to establish more detail and understanding of the effects constant heading can have on professional players, the Premier League, English Football League (EFL), the Football Association (FA) and the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) have provisionally agreed to an industry-wide fund to support players living with dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions and of course their families and loved ones.
Scotland Engages With Expert Opinion
In Scotland, they have taken things further. Scottish football clubs have been told players should not head the ball in the days immediately before and after games—a landmark move aimed at protecting players’ long-term health. The move is being backed by new guidelines from the Scottish Football Association (SFA), responding to research into how concussion and heading during training impact the brain. Just how seriously clubs take this advice and how enforceable it is is another matter. Most people do take the advice of experts. Professor Willie Stewart is a consultant neuropathologist at the University of Glasgow and a leading expert on brain injury in sport.
Dementia and Football: Ground-Breaking Research
Stewart’s research uncovered the distressing link between football and brain disease. He has given evidence to a parliamentary inquiry into concussion and sport. All clubs should be concerned about where this will eventually lead. Every club puts their players through heading practice – some more than others – but there must be a duty of care to those taking part in what could be a long, slow demise of their brain.
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