[ad_1]
It is possible that the course will not exist in football in 10 or 15 years due to the risks involved, says former Tottenham and Hull midfielder Ryan Mason.
Mason, who once played for England, had to retire from football after fracturing his skull playing for Hull in 2017.
A recent study showed that soccer players are three and a half times more likely to suffer from dementia.
“It would not surprise me in 10 or 15 years if the head was not involved in the game,” Mason, 29, told BBC Sport.
“The research and the momentum that it’s building, I think it’s probably going to open up a lot more things that get quite shocking.
“I’m not sure that footballers are fully aware of the potential harm. This is where the more research, the more understanding, the more education current players receive, the better.”
“It might even come to a point where I have to sign something to say I’m okay. [playing with the risk].
“It’s really disturbing. The problem we have is that you don’t know the effects until later in life.”
The field study, conducted by neuropathologist Willie Stewart, found that soccer players were more likely to suffer from dementia and other brain injury diseases, but has not established whether it was caused by concussions from collisions or from repeatedly heading the ball.
The family of 1966 World Cup winner Nobby Stiles, who was diagnosed with a brain condition related to repeated blows to the head, believe his head caused dementia before he died in October.
Changes have already been made to how often children can head the ball, but there are also concerns about how head injuries are treated in soccer.
Former Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen said earlier this month that he felt the effects of a concussion for nine months after he tried to continue playing during a Champions League match two seasons ago.
Mason, who said he was “lucky to be alive” after his head clash with former Chelsea defender Gary Cahill, found Vertonghen’s story “quite shocking.”
And he wonders why soccer has opted for the permanent concussion substitution trials over the temporary ones seen in rugby union.
Starting in January, teams will be able to use two additional permanent substitutes to account for head injuries. But there has been criticism of that move from Stewart and the brain charity Headway, who believe that temporary replacements are a better alternative.
That process allows a surrogate to enter the field immediately, giving the doctor 10 minutes to conduct an evaluation rather than the permanent option, where the decision is made in a shorter period of time.
The temporary option is flawed, according to the Football Association’s director of medicine Charlotte Cowie, as sometimes players can still play again after a longer evaluation.
But Mason, who is now a coach at Tottenham’s academy, says the permanent option adds more “pressure” to the decision.
“Why [is football] Not following something that is in place and has worked? “, said.
“Rugby has a protocol that gives the players, the team and the individual the opportunity to go for an independent medical examination away from the field where there is no pressure from the coach to get the player back on the field. [from the stands] when the fans are back. ”
