Koeman Ireland claim is ‘rubbish’
Study into ‘heading time bomb’
JEFF ASTLE: Dead at 59 from CTE JEFF ASTLE’S daughter has welcomed the start of the process for independent research into the link between dementia and football, which she believes will help the next generation make “informed choices” over careers.
Former England striker Astle, scorer of West Brom’s winner in the 1968 FA Cup final and loved by Albion fans for his thumping headers, died in 2002 aged 59 from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The coroner listed cause of death as “industrial disease” caused by heading footballs.
Now the Expert Concussion Panel have “agreed the parameters of the research to be done by an independent research group”.
The focus of that study is to be on one question, ‘Is the incidence of degenerative neurocognitive disease more common in ex-pro footballers than the normal population?’
Despite conclusions likely to take five years, Dawn Astle said: “We’re really pleased and it has been a long time coming.
“But as long as the research is the right research and done by the right people to answer the key questions which have been asked by the FA and ourselves, it’s fine.
“It’s too late for dad but I’m pleased for the families we’re now representing because all you want is answers – what happened to dad? And to others? Is it a ticking time bomb? We needed to know, the families need to know and football needs to know.” RONALD KOEMAN has been told he is talking “absolute rubbish” as the escalating row between the Everton boss and Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill over the injury to James McCarthy shows no sign of cooling.
Everton’s irate manager lashed out on Wednesday over the hamstring injury to his midfielder sustained during the international break, insisting McCarthy and O’Neill went against advice from both club and country’s medical departments by preparing him to play against Wales last Friday.
In the event, McCarthy pulled out after feeling his hamstring tweak in the warm-up.
But yesterday the Republic refused to back down, calling Koeman’s allegation that O’Neill and the player ignored the medical teams “absolute rubbish”.
A source within their camp said: “To suggest that we ignored the advice of our medical team is total rubbish. Mr Koeman needs to check his facts before he says such things.”
Koeman locked horns with O’Neill over McCarthy’s international ambitions in October, accusing him of “overloading” the player with back-to-back games against Georgia and Moldova.
Those matches came despite McCarthy being on the comeback trail at club level having not played for six and a half weeks after a groin operation. Koeman ramped up the bad feeling further this week by accusing O’Neill of failing to provide his midfielder with adequate protection.
“It was a final decision against the medical staff of Ireland and also against the medical staff of Everton,” Koeman said on Wednesday.
“And there are two people responsible for that. One is the player himself.
“Finally, if he says, ‘Yes I’m fit’, OK but even the player needs protection from the manager and, once again, they didn’t give that protection to the player.” Ireland rejected that scenario vehemently yesterday but Koeman, who lost Seamus Coleman in the same game to a career-threatening leg break that is likely to rule him out for at least eight months, will most likely find it hard to back down when he speaks ahead of the Merseyside derby today.
Koeman has already had to deal with transfer speculation over Romelu Lukaku and his mood is unlikely to have been improved by the further bad news that Ramiro Funes Mori, his firstchoice centre-half, has also been ruled out of the rest of the season with an injury sustained on international duty with Argentina.
Funes Mori, 26, suffered a torn meniscus in his knee while playing in a 2-0 loss to Bolivia in La Paz. Everton yesterday confirmed that a minor operation to correct the problem has not been ruled out, but his participation in the rest of the Premier League campaign almost certainly has.
“He will have a surgical opinion next week but the initial diagnosis suggests he is likely to be out of action for the rest of the campaign,” read a statement. Koeman lent his unqualified support to Coleman as he sets out on the long road to recovery, insisting that he has the character to bounce back. But Neil Taylor, whose rash challenge caused the double fracture, looks set to be further penalised for his part.
FIFA opened proceedings against the Wales full-back after his challenge ended Coleman’s season.
The Aston Villa defender, 28, will be suspended for Wales’ next World Cup qualifier against Serbia in June but could have the ban extended to two matches following his poorly-judged challenge.
Ashley Williams, Coleman’s team-mate at Everton and Wales captain, revealed he felt sick after the incident.
“Neil was gutted. He was sitting on the floor virtually in tears,” he said. “Even people who don’t know Seamus like I do were gutted.
“Neil asked me to check if it would be OK to see Seamus in hospital. He got his number off me and sent him a text straight away.
“When I found out it was a broken leg it made me feel sick inside because it’s someone who I like so much and is one of my mates.”