In recent years, the evidence has grown – and the warnings ever louder: In several physical sports, including football, there are real risks of players suffering brain damage as a result of physical actions. By headlines, for example. Research by the Amsterdam UMC revealed last week that former football player Wout Holverda, who died last year at the age of 63, suffered from a serious brain disease related to his career as a football player. It goes without saying that headers played a major role in this. It was the first time that a link had been shown between the repeated blows to the head of a Dutch football player and the brain disease CTE, which he was diagnosed with post mortem.
Other impact sports, such as American football, rugby, ice hockey, boxing and horse racing, have previously shown a direct link between brain injuries and falls, body checks, tackles and blows to the head. Often the problems do not manifest themselves until later in life. In football, about which there have been suspicions for years, the direct link has only now been established. The unique Amsterdam brain research at Holverda, and previous signals from, for example, British football, should lead to alarm bells going off at unions all over the world.
In the aforementioned sports, it has become clear in recent years that those responsible at the unions have been looking the other way for too long – and usually consciously. They preferred to protect their sport than the athletes, partly for fear of reputational damage or financial claims. But in football, where brain damage has been extensively demonstrated, more and more measures have been taken, including the use of independent neurologists in games in the NFL, the top league. They have the authority to remove a player from the field if they suspect that brain damage may have occurred.
Concern about potential brain damage is increasing in football, including in the Netherlands, but hardly any concrete measures have been taken yet. Two years ago, the European association UEFA explicitly asked researchers to delete a question about the harmfulness of cups. From various studies, including in Scotlandit has since been shown that football players – especially defenders – are up to five times more likely to develop dementia than average.
The natural reaction for many footballers is still to play with a head injury. Ajax player Lisandro Martínez walked groggy on the field last week after he suffered a head injury in a collision with an opponent in the match against Benfica. Trainer Erik ten Hag stated that the player’s own opinion is “perhaps the most important” in such cases. Martínez wanted “on anyway”.
The studies into brain damage are so serious that avoiding, looking away or condoning is no longer an acceptable response for clubs and associations. The KNVB also bears responsibility for the health of more than one million football players. It is high time that federations actually wanted to know what impact their sport can have on the body. That starts with scientific research: wanting to know what the risks are. There is evidence on the table, every reason for the football world to actively look for the facts with an open mind. And then act on the findings.
A version of this article also appeared in NRC on the morning of March 10, 2022