Dementia link to football is denied by FIFA

A LEADING FIFA official has rubbished links between dementia and football — just as the Football Association announced a ‘massive’ investigation into the possible damaging effects of concussion and excessive heading.

Research published last month suggested repeated headers during a player’s career may be linked to long-term brain damage. Four out of six former players were found to have signs of degenerative brain disease linked to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, after their brains had post-mortem examinations.

A number of other recent studies, including one from Stirling University first reported in The Mail on Sunday last year, show evidence that heading footballs can impair brain function and negatively affect a player’s memory.

The family of Celtic legend Billy McNeill confirmed last week that the Lisbon Lion is suffering with the condition.

At least three members of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning squad — Martin Peters, Nobby Stiles and Ray Wilson — have developed dementia or memory loss, while Dawn Astle, whose father Jeff, the former England striker, died of a degenerative brain disease aged 59, has campaigned for far more attention to be paid to possible damaging effects. Long-term neurological damage caused by repeated head trauma was first identified in boxers in 1928.

But FIFA’s joint deputy secretary general Zvonomir Boban, the former Croatian World Cup star, suggested more research would simply be a waste of time.

‘There is nothing conclusive that we can take from all this research,’ said Boban.

‘FIFA has been looking into this for 16 years with universities and medical entities and there is no link between dementia and football.’

Scottish FA chief executive Stewart Regan said all four home nations bought into the idea.

‘We have all agreed that we’d like to commission a piece of research exploring whether the prevalence of dementia in professional footballers is any greater than in society in general,’ said Regan.

‘Dementia is going to be around for a long time. We want to make sure that if there is a connection to football we understand what that is and can take some kind of preventative approach.’

The FIFA comments infuriated Dawn Astle.

‘If FIFA has been looking into this issue for 16 years then it’s news to me and my family,’ she said. ‘For FIFA to simply dismiss any association between dementia and football is nothing short of disgraceful.’