JEFF Astle, the former West Bromwich Albion and England striker, died from a brain injury caused by the prolonged heading of a football, a coroner ruled yesterday.
The former centre forward, who had a cameo role on Fantasy Football League, died from a degenerative brain disease caused by the constant heading of a heavy, and often wet, leather football, Andrew Haigh, the South Staffordshire coroner, decided.
Astle's family, who always maintained his death was caused by the repeated action during his 20-year football career, said the verdict had delivered ''justice''.
Ophelia McPhail, the wife of Celtic legend Billy McPhail, who tried for five years to claim benefits for memory loss which he blamed on heading heavy footballs during his 17-year career, last night said she would consider further legal action following the ruling.
Mr McPhail, now 74, developed symptoms of pre-senile dementia during the 1990s. He has been in a nursing home for two years. His family has always been convinced that his condition was caused by head injuries suffered as a professional footballer.
Tony Higgins, secretary of the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association, yesterday confirmed the organisation was co-operating with its English counterpart on joint research into the long-term impact of how heading affects the brain.
The project, started last season, will study over a 10-year period the impact heading a ball has on players.
Brendon Batson, West Brom managing director who also played for the club, said the verdict could have ''a wide implication'' for football.
''There has been anecdotal evidence suggesting that players are having brain problems from being professional footballers. We now have a link, but this ruling is very specific to Jeff Astle.''
He declined to comment on whether the Astle family would have grounds to seek compensation.
Football manufacturers said it was unlikely Mr Astle's death would be repeated among today's players because the new synthetic balls are much lighter, but health experts said the implications of the coroner's verdict were ''huge''.
Mr Astle died in January, aged 59, after collapsing at his daughter's home.
The pinnacle of his career was winning five caps for England and being part of their 1970 World Cup squad.
He also scored in every round of the FA Cup in 1968, including the winner in the final against Everton. He played 361 times for West Brom, scoring 174 goals.
Lorraine Astle, the player's wife of 38 years, told the inquest at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, that her husband's health had slowly deteriorated since 1997.
She said a brain scan indicated he suffered an injury to the front part of his brain ''. . . the same part of the head that he used to head the ball during his playing career''.
She added: ''It was known throughout the game that he was one of the hardest headers of a football and this was in the days when a ball was made of leather. It would have been like heading a bag of bricks.''
Dr Derek Robson, a consultant neurological pathologist, told the inquest a post-mortem examination showed the father of three suffered from a brain condition that was likely to have been exacerbated by heading heavy leather footballs.
After the verdict of death by industrial disease, Mr Astle's daughter, Dawn, said: ''Since dad was diagnosed the family has believed that heading footballs caused his brain damage. We just wanted justice and for the truth to be known. At the end of the day the game he lived for has killed him.''
Peter McCabe, chief executive of Headway, a charity specialising in brain injury, said that the implications of the verdict were huge.
Mr McPhail, who scored a hat-trick of headers during Celtic's 7-1 defeat of Rangers in the 1957 League Cup final, lost his battle in 1998 to claim industrial disability payments.
His wife added last night: ''We fought for five years at tribunals and in the courts. Lawyers have told me they would take up the case up again if there was an opening. Given the latest ruling I would consider it. I want to prove that Billy's illness was partly due to the cumulative effect of his career.''
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