BACK IN THE GAME!

Pochettino set to be the new boss at PSG

RYAN MASON says he would not be surprised if heading the ball is no longer part of the game within ten years, amid what he described as the shocking results of research into its impact. Former Tottenham and Hull City midfielder Mason was forced to retire after fracturing his skull in 2017 following a sickening clash of heads with Chelsea’s Gary Cahill at Stamford Bridge. Dr Willie Stewart’s FIELD study has shown that footballers are threeand-a-half times more likely to die of a neurodegenerative disease than the general population. Sportsmail is continuing to campaign for a restriction on heading in training sessions, and Mason (pictured) said: ‘It wouldn’t surprise me in ten to 15 years if heading wasn’t involved in the game. ‘The research and the momentum it’s getting, I think it’s probably going g g to open up a lot more stuff that becomes quite shocking. I’m not sure footballers are fully aware of the potential damage. This is where the more research, the more education current players get, the better.’ The PFA have also joined Sportsmail in calling for heading ing in training to be reduced. As part of our five-point campaign, we suggested a maximum of 20 headers per session and a minimum of 48 hours between sessions.

Speaking to the BBC, 29-year-old Mason added: ‘It might even get to a point where you might need to sign something to say that I’m OK (playing with the risk). The problem we have is you y don’t know the effects until you get ge later on in life.’ Mas Mason’s comments come af after a group of former fo footballers, managers and politicians had taken Sportsmail campaign to P Parliament. In letters sent to the Prime Minister and the Department for Digital, Cultur Culture, Media and Sport, former England stars Peter Reid and Viv Anderson were among signatories calling for an urgent review into the possible link between heading a ball and neurodegenerative diseases.