WE HAVE LOST LEGENDS. MORE MUST BE DONE

FAR too regularly it seems, another of our football heroes from yesteryear makes the brave and tragic announcement that they are suffering from dementia.

As fans, it’s upsetting for us to hear about legends we once worshipped being laid low by such a cruel and debilitating illness; but for those concerned and their loved ones, it’s truly heart-breaking.

Denis Law, Billy McNeill, Stevie Chalmers, Gordon McQueen, Davie Wilson, Sir Bobby and Jackie Charlton and Nobby Stiles, are just a few of the names who are battling, or have battled, its ravaging effects.

And, just within the last few days, the game was robbed of another Lisbon Lion and dementiasufferer, with the passing of the irrepressible Bertie Auld.

We know now, of course, that the proliferation of cases among former footballers is more than mere coincidence. Relentless heading of the ball during their careers made them far more susceptible to developing dementia in later life.

But — like smokers in the days before the link with lung cancer was established — they had no idea of the risks they were taking at the time.

As both a football lover and a law-maker, the welfare of our former stars is something I feel very strongly about.

I was delighted when the Scottish Parliament enacted Frank’s Law in 2019, named after the late Dundee United player Frank Kopel, a dementia sufferer.

This landmark legislation — which stemmed from a Member’s Bill drawn up by my Scottish Conservative colleague Miles Briggs — extended free personal care to anybody in Scotland who required it, regardless of age.

Prior to Frank’s Law, free personal care was only available to those over 65, which discriminated against those hit by early-onset dementia, and their families. Thanks to this legislation — and the tenacious campaigning of Frank’s widow Amanda — that wrong has been righted.

Dementia is one of the biggest issues facing football and it’s vital steps are taken to protect the next generation of players as much as possible.

That is why the Scottish Daily Mail’s campaign that has shone a light on this subject is so worthwhile.

I pay tribute to this paper for their calls for greater action from football’s law-makers to tackle dementia, for further research into the disease and more support for former players and their families.

Their calls deserve to be heard immediately.