by Scottish clubs will be BANNED from directing balls in training the day before or after games – and limited to just one such exercise per week – in a new effort to prevent players from suffering brain damage
- The Scottish Football Association will publish the new club guidelines this week
- They will be told to limit heading practice in training to one session per week
- Heading exercises will be prohibited the day before or the day after a match
- It’s part of a new initiative to prevent footballers from sustaining serious head injuries
- A 2019 study found that former professionals are 3.5 times more likely to die from dementia
Scottish clubs will be asked to limit header practice in training to once a week under new guidelines issued by the SFA.
And drills that could involve repeated headers, such as crosses and finishes, will also be banned from training the day before or after a match.
The sweeping guidelines will be sent to clubs this week as part of a new initiative to protect player safety following research linking repeated heading the ball to serious head injuries and neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.
In 2019, a field study conducted by the University of Glasgow provided alarming evidence of the impact of a career in professional football on the health of former players.
Former professionals are three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than people in the same age group in the general population.
Footballers in Scotland will be limited to just one head training a week – not the day before or after games – in a fresh bid to prevent professionals from suffering brain damage
The Scottish Football Association will publish the new club management guidelines this week
The SFA has since been at the forefront of introducing cap restrictions, with guidelines published for ages 6 to 17 in 2020.
Scotland was also the first country to have a recommended set of concussion protocols, via the “If in doubt, sit down” campaign.
Although there is no evidence in the field study to suggest that heading the ball conclusively caused brain disease, the governing body – in conjunction with the Hampden Sports Clinic – has undertaken further research into the men’s and women’s professional games and consulted with PFA Scotland and the coaches. ‘ and the association of managers.
Surveys reveal that managers and coaches support new restrictions on titles, even if it impacts pre-match training sessions. Members of PFA Scotland are also said to have backed new measures.
The issue of concussions from head injuries in football came to the fore again at the Qatar World Cup when Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand was ruled out of Iran’s win over the country. of Wales.
Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand played after a clash with a team-mate in their World Cup opener against England
The decision to allow Beiranvand to play has been condemned by brain damage charities
Beiranvand needed several minutes of treatment after crashing into team-mate Majid Hosseini in his country’s 6-2 loss to England.
Despite IFAB guidelines stating that any player suspected of having a concussion should be protected by being removed from play, the keeper was allowed to continue before eventually leaving the pitch on a stretcher.
Brain injury charity Headway said it was “a total disgrace” that Beiranvand was allowed to play.
The Iranian FA finally accepted the inevitable after FIFA told them in the strongest terms that they had to stick to the protocols.
