Campaigners have called for a parliamentary inquiry into the Football Association after claims it ignored warnings over links between heading a ball and dementia.
Baroness Elaine Murphy said she wrote to the FA in 1995 about the dangers posed to players in the sport, but claims the footballing body was ‘very short and refuted any such association could exist’.
Now the Jeff Astle Foundation has called for an inquiry into the missed warnings.
Former West Brom and England striker Jeff Astle died aged 59 in 2002 and it was found that repeatedly heading heavier balls had caused the dementia which led to his death
A study was published in a medical journal after the death of Tottenham Hotspurs player Danny Blanchflower (pictured), who died in 1993 from Alzheimer’s Disease
Baroness Murphy wrote to the FA following a study published after the death of Tottenham Hotspurs player Danny Blanchflower, who died in 1993 from Alzheimer’s Disease.
Published in the medical journal she was editing, the study documented the experiences of staff at Guy’s Hospital in London who treated a number of former professional footballers with dementia.
Baroness Murphy told The Telegraph: ‘I remember writing to the FA and saying they might be interested in this article.
‘I thought it was worth them being concerned about it and being aware. I got a letter back saying they were sure there was no connection.’
Awareness of brain injuries in sport has come to the fore in recent years.
Baroness Elaine Murphy (centre) said she wrote to the FA in 1995 about the dangers posed to players in the sport, but claims the footballing body ‘refuted any association’
Former West Brom striker Jeff Astle died aged 59 after suffering from early onset dementia
Former West Brom and England striker Jeff Astle died aged 59 in 2002 and it was found that repeatedly heading heavier balls had caused the dementia which led to his death.
His daughter Dawn has since been campaigning for the FA to invest in research into links between dementia and heading the ball.
After Baroness Murphy’s revelations, Ms Astle said: ‘The big question is what people knew. There should be a parliamentary inquiry.’
Baroness Murphy wrote to the FA some 22 years ago
In 2015, FA chairman Greg Dyke apologised for his organisation’s failure to deliver research and promised funding for future research.
Baroness Murphy added: ‘In retrospect and looking at the evidence to date, it seems likely the brain damage caused by heading the ball leads to early presentation of all types of neurodegenerative diseases.’
This comes after striker Kevin Doyle announced his retirement owing to fears over concussion problems.
Doyle – capped 64 times by Ireland – has suffered several concussions and says that heading the ball has caused him to have persistent headaches.
The 34-year-old quit the game with immediate effect last month after taking medical advice, saying that he wanted to avoid a scenario where the damage became permanent.
Meanwhile, brain injury association Headway say that more needs to be done to understand the long-term risks of heading in football.
Chief Executive Peter McCabe told Sportsmail: ‘It is very encouraging that, for the most part, football is beginning to take the issue of concussion seriously and, along with more research, a cultural change is beginning to take place.
‘It is vital that we continue to conduct more research into the potential long-term implications of heading footballs to ensure people are able to make informed choices.
‘In the meantime, the focus has to remain on raising awareness of the importance of taking a safety-first, ‘If in doubt, sit it out!’ approach to concussion.’
Earlier this year, the Football Association announced they will fund a potentially life-saving study to identify why footballers appear more prone to early onset dementia than the wider population.