Granddaughter of 1966 World Cup winner calls on football to take action over dementia

The plight of the former Manchester United man - whose dance, Jules Rimet Trophy in one hand, false teeth in the other, on the field at Wembley following the extra-time victory over West Germany made him a national treasure in his homeland – and his celebrated team mates is sadly far from rare.

Celtic legends Billy McNeill and Stevie Chalmers, who were the captain and scorer of the winning goal respectively in the European Cup triumph over Inter Milan in Lisbon in 1967, both passed away from dementia within days of each other in April. There have, alas, been many, many more.

The illness her beloved grandfather was diagnosed with two years ago has prompted Caitlin Stiles, a law student at Newcastle University, to write a dissertation examining how the game’s governing bodies can protect those who are playing now from cognitive impairment in later life.

“The link between playing football and developing dementia needs to be investigated,” the 21-year-old said. “There are more than the national average suffering. You can see that by looking at the ’66 squad alone.  Further research is vital to ensure that adequate reforms in the game can be made.” 

The heavy leather balls which players of yesteryear used are widely believed to have been responsible for the conditions they developed in later life. Stiles, though, has found the threat is as great, if not even greater, today as it was in previous decades in her studies.

“It is an issue in modern day football as well,” she said. “In 40 years’ time who else is going to suffer? People now say: ‘It’s safer now with the footballs, it’s not going to affect modern players, you don’t need to change anything’. You definitely do.

“The speed the ball travels means that, no matter how light it is, if it hits your head, it is going to have an effect. They are also in the air more so are headed more.”

Stiles, who has consulted Dr Willie Stewart, the lead neuropathologist at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow and an internationally-renowned authority in his field, in the course of her work, emphasised that heading the ball isn’t the only area that requires to be addressed.

“The game needs to be safer,” she said. “But how do you do that? Do you do that by limiting heading? Sorry, but that isn’t going to eliminate all of the risks. You can still get head injuries in a game. You can still get concussion by, say, going into a tackle and getting hit by a boot.”

How footballers who sustain head injuries during games are dealt with was brought into sharp focus by some disturbing events in high-profile matches down south last season.

Jamie Vardy, the Leicester City striker, played on after suffering a head injury in the first-half of the Premier League game against Watford at Vicarage Road back in March after colliding with his goalkeeper Ben Foster. However, in the second-half he had to, after scoring an equaliser, be helped off the field due to the delayed affects of the blow.

Jan Vertonghen, the Spurs centre half, also suffered a head injury in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Ajax the following month after a clash with his team mate Toby Alderweireld. But after being examined by medical staff he continued playing. A minute later he found himself unable to stand and had to be replaced.

Mauricio Pochettino, the Spurs manager, revealed afterwards that recommended UEFA guidelines had been followed to the letter and stressed the team doctor, not him, had made the decision to allow the player to carry on. The defender was later sent by his club to see a neurologist who specialises in the treatment of elite athletes.

The problem is clearly that the rules as they stand are not fit for purpose. Under UEFA protocols medical staff are only allowed three minutes to assess head injuries. But experts believe a minimum of 10 minutes are needed.

Having independent medical teams on hand at matches to properly assess a player who has suffered a head knock as well as the use of temporary substitutes, as currently happens in rugby, have both been advocated.

For Stiles, these examples and myriad others like them across the world, underline that the game of football is sadly lacking when it comes to the treatment of head injuries and needs to overhaul the woefully inadequate procedures which are currently in place.

“If I was working in a shop and a shelf fell on me and I was concussed how would that be treated compared to what happens on the pitch?” she said. “That is what needs to change. When you are concussed in a game it needs to be assessed and it needs to be assessed properly. Jamie Vardy wasn’t treated in the right way at all.”

Stiles referenced the controversial Chelsea game against Swansea at Stamford Bridge back in 2015 to underline her point. Jose Mourinho publicly criticised and then demoted his doctor Eva Carneiro and physiotherapist Jon Fearn for running onto the field to treat Eden Hazard after he had been tripped and leaving him with just nine players in a game his side drew 2-2.

“That wouldn’t happen in a normal job, but in sport it is allowed,” she said. “Yeah, okay, you have consented to the risk of suffering an injury. But not something as serious as a head injury. How players are assessed and treated and the way the injury is managed needs to be taken far more seriously. They are the three most important things that need to change.”

Stiles believes educating players would be another positive step. “If they at least know the risk of dementia they can make an informed choice,” she said. “In boxing, you know you have a risk of death or at least serious injury when you step into the ring. Why isn’t that the same in football?

“Why don’t young players going through the academies know that dementia is a risk? Risk is an inherent part of any sport. But it is really important to be able to actually know to the risk.”

Stiles would like to see football follow boxing’s lead. An anaesthetist and two teams of paramedics are now required ringside after Michael Watson, who sustained permanent brain damage at the end of his fight against Chris Eubank at White Hart Lane in 1991, successfully sued the British Boxing Board of Control.

“Boxing completely changed the rules of the sport and the way that boxers are managed,” she said. “That should be the same in football. Maybe it isn’t as brutal, but head injuries can and do still happen.”

Heading the ball is banned by youth “soccer” in the United States after a class action law suit was brought by a group of families against the US Soccer Federation and FIFA. Whether the game in the United Kingdom should take that step has been the subject of much debate. “We do need to manage it, in younger kids especially,” said Stiles. “If you stop it at a young age then at least you can protect them.”

Stiles would like to see a game that is, at the highest level at least, awash with money as a result of lucrative broadcasting and sponsorship deals as well as overseas investment do far more to help. “I definitely believe there needs to be more research,” she said. “There needs to be money put into that.”

Caitlin Stiles knows her famous grandad’s condition won't improve. But she, and many others who have been affected in the same way, is keen to ensure that others don’t have to endure the same harrowing ordeal in the years ahead. This is a problem that, despite the public perception, isn’t going to go away.

“My granded was like a second dad to me,” she said. “He was always my grandad, not Nobby Stiles the footballer. I think that is who the public are seeing. But I am seeing somebody who I really love and worship suffer. We need to change the game so that in the future people don’t have to go through this.”