Since the death of former West Brom striker Jeff Astle in 2002, awareness regarding the impacts of heading in football has gradually increased.
However, it was not until 2014 that Astle was found to have died, aged 59, from a degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which Dr Willie Stewart – who examined the forward’s brain – said was from a result of heading footballs.
The Jeff Astle Foundation has continued to raise awareness regarding the risk of brain injuries in football, while Nobby Stiles’ recent passing has put the effects of heading firmly under the spotlight once more.
Stiles, the former England and Manchester United midfielder, died aged 78 in October, and is one of five members of the 1966 World Cup-winning squad to have been diagnosed with dementia.
Ray Wilson and Martin Peters suffered from dementia, and died in 2018 and 2019 respectively, while Jack Charlton, who passed away in July aged 85, also lived with the disease as well as battling lymphoma. His brother Sir Bobby is currently living with dementia after his diagnosis was revealed in November.
Stiles’ family donated the player’s brain to Dr Stewart’s FIELD study, where they learned that heading had a “very severe” impact.
With research ongoing, and legal action potentially taking place in 2021, we answer some key questions surrounding heading in football, and look at what is being done to combat the issue…
What did the PFA-funded FIELD study find?
In 2019, Dr Willie Stewart’s landmark FIELD study, funded by the PFA Charity, found that ex-footballers had 3.5 times the death rate from neurodegenerative diseases compared to the general population.
Dr Stewart compared 7,676 players, born between 1900 and 1976, with 23,000 members of the public. The study also found a five-fold increased in Alzheimer’s disease, an approximately four-fold increase in motor neurone disease, and a two-fold increase in Parkinson’s disease.
How did the FA and PFA respond to the findings?
In February 2020, the English, Scottish and Irish FAs agreed to update their heading guidance for age groups between under-six and under-18 in training.
Applying to just training, the main points, per the FA, are as follows:
- No heading in training in the foundation phase (primary school children)
- Graduated approach to heading for children in the development phase U12-U16
- U18 heading drills should be reduced, to take into consideration the heading exposure in matches
- Don’t over inflate the footballs: use the lowest pressure authorised by the Laws of the Game
Further research: How heading impacts players
Jake Ashton and James Roberts conducted a study at Liverpool Hope University earlier this year, where they split 30 male participants (aged 18-21) into three groups; one group headed no balls, one headed a hard ball, the other a soft ball.
Having undertaken cognitive tests before and after heading 20 footballs, their findings saw a decrease in spatial working memory and digit working memory in the two heading groups compared to the group who did not head a ball.
Another major takeaway from the study was that after heading 20 balls, 80 per cent of participants in the hard and soft groups failed the King-Devick test, which is used in America as a pitchside test for suspected concussion and advises that the player should be removed from play if they do not pass.
Ashton tells i: “The dangerous thing is that the players won’t realise that damage is happening. They’ll head the balls and think they’re absolutely fine, but these tests are showing underlying problems and reductions in cognitive function. That begs the question when you’re doing that over and over again for a lifetime, that’s why we see such high levels of dementia in former players.”
‘Learning correct heading technique important’
Ashton stressed that given heading is unlikely to be eradicated from the game, learning the proper technique in training remains of vital importance, even if using a softer or sponge ball.
“The rules the FA brought in for the children’s side of the game is a really good start,” Ashton added. “Something similar should be implicated in the adult game, where the amount of headers players are doing in training are reduced as much as possible, and even maybe using a softer or sponge ball to get that proper heading technique without the repercussions of heading a hard ball over and over again.
“If you don’t head the ball directly with your forehead, higher up it does hurt a lot more. Having a wrong heading technique can cause more damage, so there’s talk of eliminating heading from training, but that raises another issue – if players aren’t taught a proper heading technique, then within matches if they’re heading the ball wrong it might elicit more damage than it would if they practiced in training even with a soft or sponge ball, just to make sure they’re heading the ball properly.
“Once children get older they are going to have to head the ball in matches, I can’t see that changing, and we might see poorer techniques which might lead to more damage.”
From the legal perspective…
‘Expect an influx of players coming forward’
With former professionals in rugby union and rugby league preparing to launch legal action, former footballers look set to follow suit, with law firm Rylands Law reportedly in touch with the families of 40 ex-players with a view to taking action in the new year.
Ipek Tugcu, a Senior Associate solicitor in the Brain Injury Team at Bolt Burdon Kemp, has told i she is aware of the potential lawsuit and, having spoken to around 50 families of ex-footballers herself in the past year, said she expects to see more cases in the future unless changes are made.
Even the prospect of facing a legal case could prompt governing bodies into making changes like reducing the amount of heading in practice, says Tugcu, who added that those seeking legal action would have “nothing to lose”.
Tugcu tells i: “The mixture of legal action being taken in rugby and in football, and with more and more evidence coming forward, it’s only going to be a matter of time before more athletes come forward.
“They have nothing to lose really at this point. If they lose they’re in the same position but have managed to raise some awareness and put pressure on governing bodies to make necessary changes. If they win, changes will be made because no governing body will want to leave any gaps in the system that allow for more future claims.
“They’ll also be able to get compensation to pay for the care and services their loved ones need. I expect an influx of players to come forward. The first who have come forward, I think it’s a very brave thing to do. It’s very personal, it’s essentially putting your private medical condition out there to the world. In rugby, we’re seeing this is people in their 40s which is shocking.
“I don’t think any athlete wants to, chooses to, or is happy about suing the sport they love and that gave them a career, so this wouldn’t have been an easy decision, but seeing those will pave the way for others, especially if they are successful.”
How could players win legal action?
It could come down to knowledge, said Tugcu, who said compensation could be paid out if teams or governing bodies potentially withheld information.
She said: “A huge part of proving these claims in knowledge. While some people argue this is part and parcel of playing any sport, an athlete who signs up to play is aware of it, there’s a difference between that and signing up to something where you don’t know, and aren’t told of the dangers.
“The reality is that those above you, the governing bodies, the doctors, the teams, probably do know or have an inkling and just aren’t communicating that to you. That’s a huge piece of disclosure which could be really crucial to legal claims.
“Seeing that, it’s brave of current footballers to speak out, no one wants to rock the boat when they’re employed, but it’s important and will encourage action to be taken hopefully.”
Vertonghen’s ‘powerful’ admission
Former Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen recently revealed he was playing with concussion symptoms for nine months following a clash of heads with Toby Alderweireld in Spurs’ Champions League semi-final in 2019.
Vertonghen said the long-lasting effects impacted his chances of getting into Spurs’ starting XI, and Tugcu said this admission has helped people realise this is a “live” issue, and not one suffered by footballers back in the day.
“I’ve noticed a shift in the last three months of current footballers and pundits on Match of the Day or wherever, speaking out about it,” Tugcu added.
“Now you’re seeing a shift, because I think it’s a topic that can’t be ignored. It’s so important [Vertonghen] came forward. There’s this misconception that this issue of getting neuro-degenerative diseases is something that happened ‘back in the day’ and that current footballers aren’t at risk. Research has proven that is baseless.
“Having someone like Vertonghen come out about an injury he sustained a few months ago, and say it crippled him for most of the season, and the impact that had.
“That’s really powerful, because it hopefully silences those people who are trying to claim this is not a live issue. Also for governing bodies, it’s important for them to hear and see the impact this is having on their players.
“Even from a business point of view, no club wants their player to be out for months and months. No governing body will want people speaking out about these issues because it’s adding fuel to the fire. It’s a hugely important issue.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3hkOht9
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