Special report Dementia in football
Jim Holden examines the worrying links between football and dementia
When news was released that Sir Bobby Charlton had been diagnosed with dementia, it was the tipping point for football to finally become truly serious about a scandal hidden in the shadows for so long.
He was the fifth member of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning team to suffer from dementia or related illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease, and so joined a heartbreaking list of other famous names from the world of football.
Ferenc Puskas, Sir Alf Ramsey, John Charles, Gerd Muller, Danny Blanchflower, Bob Paisley, Bellini – the captain of Brazil’s 1958 World Cup winners – these heroes are just a few among tens of thousands.
The game knew, but the game neglected its idols. The revelation about Bobby Charlton was one tragedy too many. The Professional Footballers’ Association set up an instant task force, and there was widespread media reporting not only in the UK but also across the globe. The front page of Italian newspaper featured a picture of the 1966 England World Cup team, with a long article on the subject inside.
This was all very welcome, but why had it taken so long?
Compelling evidence about the scale of the issue had been there for two decades and more. The football authorities, as well as players, managers and much of the media, turned a blind eye – perhaps preferring not to believe that heading the ball, such an integral, spectacular and occasionally beautiful aspect of the game, could have such devastating consequences; that it could be deadly.
I first encountered the issue 20 years ago when writing a biography of Stan Cullis, the former England captain and mighty manager of Wolves in the 1950s, who helped to create what is today the Champions League.
He retired early as a footballer fearing that repeated blows to the head, which left him with endless concussions, would gravely damage his health. His last years were spent in a nursing home suffering from dementia. His daughter Susan wrote to the Football Association and did not even receive the courtesy of a reply.
In November 2002 there was an inquest into the death of former England striker Jeff Astle aged 59.