Families angered over refusal of temporary concussion substitutes

Families of England players who have suffered fatal or life-changing brain damage have condemned football’s lawmakers for refusing to approve a trial of temporary concussion substitutes.

The International Football Association Board was accused of “ignorance” after deciding instead to extend testing of protocols that allow only permanent substitutes.

Those were deemed by campaigners and experts to provide insufficient protection to players who suffer a head injury in an open letter to Ifab. Its signatories included Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton, as well as Dawn Astle, who has been trying to get dementia in football to be recognised as an industrial disease after her father, the former England striker Jeff, died aged 59 from accumulated brain damage in 2002. She said: “I’m really disappointed but, to be honest, am I surprised? Ifab are being ignorant, really, of what’s happening on the field. To deny healthcare professionals the tools to do their job properly is wrong.”

Another signatory, Penny Watson,

the wife of former England captain Dave Watson, who is living with dementia, said: “It’s disappointing to hear that Ifab do not seem to listen to the suggestions and advice from those eminent people involved in the head-injury debate. ”

Ifab had said recently that it did not rule out trialling temporary substitutes but that difficulties in obtaining medical information on players treated for concussion had slowed up the process. In a statement last night, Ifab added: “Members agreed the trials should continue to focus on permanently removing any player with actual or possible concussion to ensure this player does not continue taking part in the match. It was agreed that further education is needed to ensure the trial protocols are applied correctly.”