FA was warned of header risk to brain 22 years ago
Relatives call for parliamentary inquiry
CAMPAIGNERS have called for a full parliamentary inquiry after it was claimed the Football Association was warned 22 years ago about links between heading a ball and dementia.
Baroness Elaine Murphy said she wrote to the FA in 1995 following a study published in the medical journal she was then editing.
She said the FA “were very short and refuted any such association could exist”. The article was prompted by the death of Spurs legend Danny Blanchflower from Alzheimer’s disease.
It also documented the experience of staff at Guy’s Hospital in London who had treated several former professional footballers with dementia. Dawn Astle, whose dad, former West Brom and England ace Jeff, died from a degenerative brain disease in 2002, aged 59, said: “The big question is what people knew. There should be a parliamentary inquiry.”
The report was written by the senior registrar Dr Jon Spear and concluded “further work should now be undertaken to assess the relative risk of Alzheimer’s disease”.
Baroness Murphy said: “I remember writing to the FA… I thought it was worth them being concerned about it and being aware. I got a letter back saying they were sure there was no connection. In retrospect and looking at the evidence to date, it seems likely the brain damage caused by heading the ball leads to early presentation of all types of neurodegenerative diseases.” The FA has only recently commissioned independent research that is expected to largely follow Spear’s recommendation, saying it is “committed to examining all areas of head injuries in football”.
The big question is what people knew. There should be a parliamentary inquiry DAWN ASTLE DAUGHTER OF WEST BROM STAR JEFF