‘Victims and families ignored’

FOOTBALLERS who developed dementia after giving the public hours of “pleasure and entertainment” have been abandoned, according to the son of World Cup legend Nobby Stiles,

Nobby, 78, died in October – the fifth member of the 1966 squad to have been diagnosed with dementia. Sir Bobby Charlton, 83, was diagnosed last month.

Nobby’s son, ex-leeds defender John Stiles, 56, says the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), which is the trade union for football, has forgotten the many players left with brain injury diseases.

He said: “These men are just honest, good people who have received little or no help, and unfortunately that is the situation across the county.

“In every town and city the players at the local club give pleasure and entertainment. All players deserve to get the help regardless of their standing. They should be given more support, there’s enough money in football to be helping these people properly. At the moment there is a culture of denial.

“And while the waiting and asking for more studies and evidence goes on, the families are in a terrible mess.” He added: “While Dad was alive we didn’t want to bring too much attention to him, but once he passed we wanted to use the enormous affection that was shown to help other families who were suffering the same thing.” Ex-celtic forward Chris Sutton, whose father Mike has the illness, and Dawn Astle, the daughter of England striker Jeff Astle, have also been campaigning. Neuropathologist Dr Willie Stewart has been researching the issue with the University of Glasgow and found that footballers are two to five times more likely to die from degenerative brain diseases. He said that Astle’s brain condition, usually linked to boxers, is also caused by heading footballs. In November the PFA launched a taskforce to examine the issue and claims no family that has approached them for support has been turned down, something John says is not true. He said footballers from Nobby’s era retired with little money to show for it. He said: “My dad sold medals because he had to, but a lot of players don’t have any to sell. What do they do?”

BATTLE: Nobby, who died this year, and his son John, 56