The son of England’s 1966 World Cup winner Nobby Stiles is predicting an “epidemic” of brain injuries among players who head footballs, especially women.
John Stiles spoke after an inquest on Wednesday into the death of his father, Nobby Stiles – the 78-year-old ex-Man Utd and England midfielder – heard thousands of headers during his career had caused his chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Senior Coroner Alison Mulch is writing a prevention of future deaths report after recording Stiles’ cause of death in 2020 as Alzheimer’s disease, contributed to by CTE.
The Football Association (FA), which has been asked to comment, is phasing out all football heading up to under-11s this year.
Stiles died with severe dementia in 2020 aged 78 and had headed a football about 140,000 times in his career, Stockport Coroners’ Court heard during the inquest into his death, held on Wednesday.
Neuropathology expert Dr Daniel Du Plessis told the court: “I’m quite convinced his heading the football that many times has caused his CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy].”