Footballers’ head injury case opens at High Court

A GROUP of 19 former footballers, including three with Premier League experience, start their fight with the FA for compensation over brain injuries tomorrow.

The potentially landmark legal battle will begin with a case management hearing at the High Court, with the players’ lawyer telling Mail Sport that they hope to secure justice and raise awareness about the dangers of sport causing brain trauma. The group are mainly in their 60s and 70s, although some of them are considerably younger having shown symptoms of dementia far earlier.

Their legal team are planning to request anonymity in most cases, but former Manchester United left back Colin Gibson and John Stiles, the son of England’s late World Cup winning hero Nobby, have already gone public with their intention to sue.

All of the players and their families are claiming compensation after suffering from irreversible neurological impairments such as CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and post-concussion syndrome. The FA, the FA of Wales and football’s law-making body IFAB are all being sued. The claim follows previous legal actions launched by former players from rugby union and rugby league. Lawyer Richard Boardman of Rylands told Mail Sport: ‘We have our first case management hearing in this football litigation in the High Court on Tuesday. We are seeking directions and a timeline from the court to move things forward. The families are seeking damages, justice and hope to raise awareness about the dangers of traumatic brain injuries in contact sports.’

The FA declined to comment.