Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
APPALLING AND EMBARRASSING
FA and PFA blasted over failure to explain why so little was done to protect footballers
ENGLISH football’s “appalling” failure to act on the dementia crisis was called an “embarrassment” to the game yesterday.
And the FA and players’ union were widely accused of not tackling the issue, which has led to devastating consequences for a whole generation of former players and their families.
The focus is finally on concussion and the mistakes of the past, which have led to great players suffering from dementia and brain disease.
Former England star
Frank Worthington this week became the latest high-profile player to die after a battle with dementia.
And, in a highly charged Department of Culture Media and Sport select committee hearing, MP Julian Knight (right) angrily accused the FA of not doing enough to solve the problem.
FA head of medical Charlotte Cowie was left squirming by a raft of difficult questions from
Knight as to how much the association had actually spent on research.
The FA and Professional Footballers’ Association each spent £125,000 each on research carried out by Dr Willie Stewart, but Cowie refused to say how much they had spent in the past.
Knight pointed out that Dr Stewart’s entire research budget of £250,000 is just six weeks’ salary for Gordon Taylor. “I think that says an awful lot,” said Knight. “I’m staggered that you have come here today without the figures that you have spent in the past year.
“You are in front of a Parliamentary committee and you are seriously telling a committee that you don’t know. I’m appalled and I think you are too embarrassed to say.” It was an excruciating exchange.
The FA insist they will not put a limit on any spending in the future, but MPS were damning about what was done in the past.
Cowie said: “There is no funding limit we have set on this. I can put my hand on my heart and say there is not an amount of money we’ve set for this.”
Dawn Astle, daughter of the late England and West Brom star Jeff, said her father had been let down. “Football doesn’t want to think that football can be a killer – but I know it can be, because it’s on my dad’s death certificate,” she said.
“I want to make sure the players affected are looked after properly. And I want to make sure the game is safe for players now and in the future.” Cowie also annoyed exblackburn striker Chris Sutton – whose father Mike passed away last December after a 10-year battle with dementia.
He said the current use of concussion substitutes is wrong.
The FA has begun a trial with permanent concussion substitutes, while campaign groups believe there should be temporary substitutes to allow a better evaluation of potential head injuries. Sutton (left, with his dad) said: “This is one area that must change immediately. They must ratify temporary concussion replacements.
“Permanent replacements do not have players’ welfare at heart. Clubs should limit heading in training. We don’t need meetings about meetings.
“It needs to happen immediately.”