Several claimants taking legal action against football's governing bodies

The family of the late Joe Kinnear, a former Tottenham Hotspur defender and Wimbledon manager, is among several claimants taking legal action against football's governing bodies over brain injuries allegedly suffered during their careers. Kinnear was diagnosed with dementia in 2015 and passed away in April at the age of 77.

Four Premier League-era players and 31 other former footballers or their families are also part of the legal action, which alleges that the defendants - IFAB, the Football Association, the English Football League, and the Football Association of Wales - were negligent in failing to take reasonable action to protect players from permanent injury caused by repetitive concussive and sub-concussive blows.

The claimants argue that the defendants were aware of the dangers of concussion in football as far back as 1983, but failed to take action to reduce the risk to players. They allege that they have suffered "permanent long-term neurological injuries" as a result of this negligence.

The legal action was initiated two years ago, and more than 8,000 pages of medical records and pleadings have been submitted by the claimants. The case management hearing is set to take place on Wednesday.

Solicitor Richard Boardman, who is representing the claimants, said: "Today's hearing is the latest milestone in our campaign to seek justice for those who were not protected by the football governing bodies from sustaining brain damage. The sheer scale of the problem is illustrated by the fact that we have filed more than 8,000 pages of medical records and legal documents for the first 17 football claimants alone."

The claimants include the family of 1966 World Cup winner Nobby Stiles, who died in 2020 and had prostate cancer and advanced dementia. His brain was diagnosed as having chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a form of degenerative disease dementia that is believed to be caused by repeated blows.

Research in 2019 showed that ex-footballers were three and a half times more likely to die of dementia than the general population. The claimants are seeking compensation for their injuries and are calling for changes to be made to the game to protect players from brain damage.

The Football Association has said that it is "not able to comment on ongoing legal proceedings" but that "we continue to take a leading role in reviewing and improving the safety of our game".

This legal action is similar to a case launched by former rugby league and former rugby union players in 2022, and highlights the growing concern about the long-term effects of head injuries in contact sports.