Leader: Football can make big gesture

We do not yet know if there is a direct link between heading a football and dementia, but recent research indicates there may be a case to answer.

Former Scotland football manager Craig Brown has backed calls to provide support for footballers who suffer from dementia in later life.

There is growing concern within the football community that a seemingly disproportionate number of former players develop dementia in later life, and if a direct link is ever established, there will be compensation claims through the courts. However, for many former players, that would come too late.

The daughter of Jeff Astle, the former England player who died of a degenerative brain condition, is campaigning for a 1 per cent levy on the wages of Premier League players to help fund the care of former players with dementia.

When consideration is taken of the remarkable salaries paid at the top level of the game – estimated at £2.5 million per annum in England – then a small contribution from each player would not leave anyone out of pocket. Football has made many of them obscenely rich, and yet for those sporting heroes who built the game’s popularity pre-TV riches, later life can be a struggle.

Providing much-needed support to those who suffer is a fitting response to current concerns, whatever the outcome of further research.