KUALA LUMPUR – Dementia is caused by repeated blunt force trauma to the head and it is common among combat-sport athletes as they age due to the nature of the sport but not footballers.
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However, former National Sports Institute (NSI) chief executive officer, said that it is possible for footballers from the ’50s and 60’s era to suffer from dementia because of the repeated heading of the ball, which was heavier and harder.
“Those days, the footballs were heavier and harder, especially when it was wet. Nowadays you have lighter and softer footballs, so heading the ball does not affect the players but those days, it was different. “There is a suspicion that the materials used to create a football back then, could have contributed to former players suffering from dementia.
In the 1900s, footballs were made out of leather with a lace of the same material to stitch the panels, which were great for bouncing and kicking the ball, but terrible for headings. On top of that, the material used would also absorb water whenever it rained, making the ball significantly heavier.
“So, if you look at the age of the footballers suffering from dementia, they are mostly above 75 years old. These are the players from the 1950s and ’60s,” Ramlan told The Vibes when contacted. Ramlan added that it also depends on the person’s family history, vitamin deficiency, alcohol and drug problem as they are obvious targets for dementia.
Ramlan who is currently a council and board of management member of the National Sports Council (NSC) said that he is not aware of any data that shows non-steroidal and anti-inflammatory drugs can cause dementia. “There is no evidence to state that. Nowadays, drugs are developed to be safer than before. Those days, you needed to take medicines 3-times a day for maybe 3 weeks to recover from any inflammation but now, you take it for just 3 to 4 days,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Manchester United and England legend Sir Bobby Charlton has been diagnosed with dementia and there are reports in the British media that this news will now reinforce calls for the links between professional football and dementia to be further investigated.
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Charlton’s former Manchester United teammate Nobby Stiles and his older brother Jack Charlton who died recently were also diagnosed with dementia.
In a report from The Independent, Jack and Bobby’s younger brother, Tommy Charlton said that it was hard not to think that it was linked to heading a ball. It is believed that the Charlton family had a history with dementia as four of their uncles who played football were hit with dementia.
At the same time, the British media also said that a study, led by consultant neuropathologist Dr Willie Stewart of Glasgow University and published in 2019, revealed that former footballers are approximately three and a half times more likely to die from a neurodegenerative disease than the general population.
The report, commissioned by the Football Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association, assessed the medical records of 7,676 men who played professional football between 1900 and 1976. Their records were matched against more than 23,000 individuals from the general population.
The study’s findings came 17 years after former England and West Brom striker Jeff Astle died at the age of 59 with what a coroner described as an “industrial injury”. – The Vibes, November 4, 2020.
