Scotland on verge of becoming first country in Europe to ban children heading footballs

Scotland appears likely to become the first country in Europe to ban children from heading a football during games following a report linking the sport to dementia.

Scottish football’s governing body is considering the move after experts at Glasgow University found former professional players were three and a half times more likely to die of it than people of the same age in the general population.

A ban on children under 12 heading the ball has been in place in the United States for five years.

The news emerged after two more former footballers revealed they were suffering from the condition.

The family of Peter Cormack, the ex-Hibernian and Liverpool player, said they believed his condition was linked to his playing days, while George Reilly, who played in the 1984 FA Cup final for Watford, said he had been left without any help from the game since being diagnosed.

The Scottish Football Association is considering options and it is understood a ban could be introduced as early as the new year as part of proposals to safeguard players from developing dementia and other brain conditions, including motor neurone disease.

Researchers looked at the medical records of more than 7,600 men who played professionally in Scotland and were born between 1900 and 1976. Their records were then matched against more than 23,000 people from the general population.

A source told the Sunday Mail: “While the study says the findings can’t automatically be applied to the grass-roots game, they’re clear this shouldn’t be a barrier to doing the right thing in the circumstances. It’s a clear statement of intent. It should have no obstacles to implementation.”

Rod Petrie, the SFA president, and Mike Mulraney, the vice-president, are due to submit proposed changes to the board after seeking guidance from experts.

A spokesman for the SFA said: “The board will give full consideration to the findings of the study and make any recommendations for the benefit of the national game in full co-operation with medical experts.”

Last week Dr John MacLean, the Scottish FA’s chief medical consultant, told BBC Scotland he wanted to see steps taken to reduce “heading load on young players”. He added: “Through work with the Scottish FA and Uefa, we have started to put together some sensible guidelines. Some simple things like limiting heading training for young players, perhaps to one session per week to allow the brain to recover.”

Henry McLeish, the former first minister, whose father suffered from dementia, said it was a significant step forward for the game, adding: “The SFA should be congratulated on this precautionary decision that will help protect our children’s future.”

The Telegraph launched its own campaign in 2016 which specifically called for research into the prevalence of brain disease among former footballers.

The Glasgow university study was launched after claims that the former West Bromwich Albion striker Jeff Astle died because of repeated head trauma.

It was commissioned by the Football Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association after delays in initial research angered the family of Astle, who died in 2002.