The Football Association (FA) have known about the dangers of concussion in football for decades, claim former players and their families who are suing several of the game’s governing bodies.
The claimants say minutes of a FA meeting in 1983 ‘indicate [it] was always fully aware of the dangers’ of concussion in football, according to the BBC.
The group alleges that despite that, the FA ‘failed to take action to reduce the risk to players to the lowest reasonable level’, as stated in ‘particulars of claim’ in a High Court action, and seen by the BBC.
The players and their families are claiming compensation after suffering from irreversible neurological impairments such as CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and post-concussion syndrome.
The FA, the FA of Wales and rule makers IFAB are those being sued.
The group of 19 footballers suing the FA for compensation over brain injuries includes players in their 30s – and the figure involved may eventually rise to ‘several hundreds’
Your browser does not support iframes.
‘At all material times the defendants knew, or ought reasonably to have known, of the likelihood of brain injuries, including long-term neurological injuries, due to the cumulative effect of repeated… injuries to the brain occurring in the sport’, allege the claimants.
They say a meeting of the FA’s medical committee in December 1983 concluded ‘players who had been concussed should take no further part in the game.
‘However, in the absence of disclosure, it is unclear whether (or if so what) action was taken as a result of this conclusion.’
In a statement to the BBC, the FA said it was ‘not able to comment on ongoing legal proceedings’ but ‘we continue to take a leading role in reviewing and improving the safety of our game’.
A group of 19 footballers are suing the FA for compensation over brain injuries includes players in their 30s – and the figure involved may eventually rise to ‘several hundreds’.
What could become a landmark legal battle began at the High Court in January at a case management hearing where initial timelines were set.
The group are mainly in their 60s and 70s – although Mail Sport understands some individuals are as young as in their 30s.
Whilst most are planning to remain anonymous, former Manchester United left back Colin Gibson and John Stiles, whose father, World Cup winner Nobby, died after suffering from dementia in 2020, are among those who have gone public. The group also includes the family of former Mansfield Town defender Kevin Bird. Bird passed away last year at the age of 70.
Jon Darby, of 39 Essex Chambers, told the court that the number of those involved could ‘grow considerably by the end of the year by 50 to 75’. However, it is expected that the figure could well end up considerably higher, with the number of former pros suffering from brain disease significant.
The players and their families are claiming compensation after suffering from irreversible neurological impairments such as CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and post-concussion syndrome. The FA, the FA of Wales and rule makers IFAB are those being sued.
![Whilst most are planning to remain anonymous, former Manchester United left back Colin Gibson and John Stiles, whose father, World Cup winner Nobby (pictured above), died after suffering from dementia in 2020, are among those who have gone public](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/16/13/80082963-0-image-a-48_1705412398854.jpg)
Whilst most are planning to remain anonymous, former Manchester United left back Colin Gibson and John Stiles, whose father, World Cup winner Nobby (pictured above), died after suffering from dementia in 2020, are among those who have gone public
Stiles has played a key role in Mail Sport’s campaign calling on football to tackle its dementia scandal.
‘I’m delighted that it’s started and I hope it does bring change,’ he said. ‘The reason my family are involved is because we feel it’s the only thing we can do to get help for the widows of players and payment for long-term healthcare costs for families who are suffering now with the same disease that killed my father.
‘Even now, three years after dad’s death and diagnosis on autopsy of CTE, still virtually nobody is aware of it. The players today – and even coroners and GPs don’t know about it.
‘This disease is everywhere where there are head impacts.’