Raphael Varane has been praised for “raising awareness” on concussion - and experts warned it must lead to a culture change in football.
Players are being told to do a “maximum of ten higher force headers” in training each week as part of a major drive into the dangers of brain injury within the game. Manchester United defender Varane bravely spoke up to reveal he pulled out of a game this season after flagging up symptoms of concussion and has urged other players not to be afraid to do the same.
The players’ union, the Professional Footballers’ Association, has a Brain Health team which offers support to former members and their families living with dementia. But they also go into clubs on a regular basis to speak to current players about dangers and how to prevent future problems.
It is led by Dr Adam White and supported by Dawn Astle and Rachel Walden who have particularly powerful voices as they are daughters of players who died of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) along with two ex-players. Former Manchester United keeper David Ryan and ex-Bath City striker Alex Fletcher who joined the Brain Health team 12 months after suffering a near-fatal head injury are able to put across a powerful message to players at all levels of the game.
Dr White said: “Prominent players like Raphael Varane raising awareness about the risks of heading and head injuries is significant and influential. Players, management staff and medical teams have a collective responsibility to work together to ensure players' long-term welfare and health are well understood and prioritised.
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“To help create that culture within the game, the PFA has a dedicated Brain Health Team that delivers education to players at clubs nationwide. The training focuses on overall brain health, emphasises the importance of concussion protocols, and alerts them to the possible risks of CTE linked to playing football.
"We are also working with football stakeholders on enhanced player protections, which includes areas such as the introduction of temporary concussion substitutions, reduced heading frequency in training, and rest periods between heading sessions. As their union, the safety and wellbeing of players will always be our number one priority.”
The PFA co-funded the landmark FIELD study which provided the first major insight into lifelong health issues for former professional footballers. It revealed former players are approximately three-and-a-half times higher rate of death due to neurodegenerative disease than the general population.
The PFA has also called for temporary concussion substitutes to be introduced rather than the current permanent system which they say does not offer “sufficient protection for players.” They believe temporary subs allow for proper checks to be carried out, permit matches to restart without either side having fewer players and it would reduce pressure on players, managers and medics to make snap and potentially ill-advised decisions.
The Brain Team also flag up to players new heading guidance from the Football Association, Premier League, EFL, PFA and League Managers’ Association which recommends a maximum of 10 higher force headers in any training week. Varane even said in his powerful interview that he tells his seven-year-old son not to head the ball when he plays football.
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