SOURCE:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45110282

 

Quote

Heading a football should be restricted in the professional game and banned for those under the age of 18, according to one of the world's leading experts on brain injuries.

Dr Bennet Omalu discovered the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

The condition has long-term effects and is caused by repeated head trauma.

"It does not make sense to control an object travelling at a high velocity with your head," Dr Omalu said.

"I believe, eventually, at the professional level we need to restrict heading of the ball. It is dangerous."

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live's Phil Williams programme, Omalu added: "No child under the age of 18 should be heading the ball in soccer.

"Kids under the age of 12 to 14 should play a less contact form of soccer which we should develop for them. Kids between 12 and 18 can play but should not head the ball.

"I know this is difficult for many people but science evolves. We change with time. Society changes. It is time for us to change some of our ways."

An inquest into the death of former England and West Brom footballer Jeff Astle ruled he died from brain trauma caused by heading heavy leather footballs.

He died in 2004, aged 72, after suffering with Alzheimer's for almost 10 years following his 16-year football career.

On Wednesday, his daughter Dawn repeated calls for the game to investigate possible links between CTE and the heading of footballs.

"This is fact now. We are not just assuming other players may have died of the same illness as Dad, this is now fact," said Dawn.

Her latest comments come after the death of Rod Taylor, a former wing-half for Portsmouth, Gillingham and Bournemouth, who died in April having suffered from the condition.

His daughter Rachel Walden told the BBC heading the ball should not be banned but instead the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) and the Football Association (FA) should to do more to help support former players and their families.

"My father's dementia was caused by heading the ball and concussions," she said. "We can't wait for them to die before we start helping them. We need to start helping them now.

"We are not blaming the football clubs or the clubs that he played for. He was proud of all the clubs he played for. It's not about changing the game, it's about trying to get the PFA to take responsibility for their members in their hour of need."

I this is a big deal in other sports these days.  I guess football is next.....

American football study showed something like 110 players studied only 2 didn't have CTE or symptoms of it. It is a very serious matter. I think something will change in future concerning this. 

Footballs were harder back then. I don't think you can take heading out of football, it's a huge part of it, it would change the game immeasurably.

American football study showed something like 110 players studied only 2 didn't have CTE or symptoms of it. It is a very serious matter. I think something will change in future concerning this. 

Yankee handball is very different to football though as those guys run into each other head first for 4 quarters, you can't really eradicate heading from the game as it would change it completely from people heading in a goal to defenders clearing the ball makes no sense in my opinion and would change the game for the worse.

40 minutes ago, EdgarAllanPoe said:

"It does not make sense to control an object travelling at a high velocity with your head," Dr Omalu said??.

14 minutes ago, Zeta said:

Footballs were harder? ?back ?then???.???

So were footballers.

Edited August 8, 20187 yr by Ilya

I don't see an issue with restricting it in younger leagues, especially under the age of 10-12 years old as they're not really using their heads anyway, or very very few are. So limiting it and trying to protect people's brains isn't an issue really for me. 

CTO is very serious matter. Your brain deteriorates in time and you have to medicate yourself. Depression is one of the symptoms which usually leads to heavy use of mediaction and many times alcohol and drugs. I follow Ice Hockey and there are many sad examples of this. 

I really think in time they ban sports which cause headinjuries. American Football is naturally much worse than heading a football but in time people don't want to risk themselves. 

18 hours ago, evissy said:

CTO is very serious matter. Your brain deteriorates in time and you have to medicate yourself. Depression is one of the symptoms which usually leads to heavy use of mediaction and many times alcohol and drugs. I follow Ice Hockey and there are many sad examples of this. 

I really think in time they ban sports which cause headinjuries. American Football is naturally much worse than heading a football but in time people don't want to risk themselves. 

I think if people are still living into their 70's, they won't be worrying about it too much. 

Banning it for kids makes sense. In the adult game I don’t know. It would be difficult to convince people to change, but who knows. 

If they ban it in kids then players simply won't be able to do it in the adult game. They'll never learn how to.

It'll also remove a whole body type out of the game. The big man will have no purpose. 

This is nanny state stuff, football isn't boxing or rugby. Concussions in those sports are being taken more seriously, as they should be, but let's not get carried away and wrap ourselves in bubble wrap from every form of risk. 

Does the heading of modern, light-weight footballs cause CTE? I guess we won’t find out until the current generation of footballers get old and develop dementia (or not).

I don’t think it’s nanny state stuff to protect kids from something that could destroy their brains in later life. That just sounds like common sense.

Christ, may as well wrap players up in bubble wrap before they take to the pitch.