Sports

Footballers At Higher Risk Of Dementia — Study

Published

3 years ago

March 17, 2023

Top level Swedish football players — except for goalkeepers — were significantly more likely to develop dementia than the general public over the last century, a large study suggested on Friday.

Experts said the study adds to “convincing evidence” linking the world’s most popular sport to a higher risk of degenerative brain disorders, and comes as head injury controversies rumble throughout other codes such as rugby and the NFL.

While traumatic brain injuries like concussions may be less common in football than those sports, the repeated heading of the ball by footballers has previously been associated with dementia.

The new study, published in The Lancet Public Health journal, analysed the medical records of more than 6,000 male footballers in Sweden’s top division from 1924 to 2019.

The researchers compared their rates of a range of degenerative brain disorders to 56,000 similarly aged Swedish men.

The footballers were 1.5 times more likely to get Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias than the control group, the study suggested.

An exception was goalkeepers, who rarely need to head the ball and did not show any increased likelihood of degenerative brain disorders.

“This finding lends support to the hypothesis that heading the ball might explain this association,” the study’s lead author Peter Ueda of Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet told AFP.

Ueda said it was the largest research conducted on the subject since a 2019 Scottish study which suggested that footballers were 3.5 times more likely than to get degenerative brain disorders.

– ‘Protect people’s heads’ –
The Swedish study also found that footballers lived slightly longer than similarly aged men, which Ueda said could be related to the higher levels of exercise and socioeconomic status that come with being an elite footballer.

The study found no increased risk of motor neuron diseases such as ALS among the footballers, and a even slightly lower risk for Parkinson’s disease.

Ueda cautioned that the observational study was not able to show that playing football directly caused the dementia, and its findings could not be extended to female, amateur or youth football.

Because there is so much time between people playing football and the development of these brain disorders, many of the players covered by the study were active during the mid-20th century.

This means that better equipment, knowledge and training could have since made the game safer for modern professional players, Ueda said.

“But you can also speculate that contemporary players today are exposed to intense football from a very young age, so maybe the risk would even be higher among them,” he added.

Gill Livingston, professor in psychiatry of older people at the University College London, said the “high-quality paper” added to “convincing evidence” that footballers whose heads come in contact with the ball were at a higher risk of dementia.

“We need to act to protect people’s heads and brains and keep playing sport,” said Livingston, who was not involved in the research.

Research into head injuries in sport, and post-career side-effects, has recently exploded, notably in rugby union and rugby league.

Last year research indicated former international rugby players are 15 times more likely to develop motor neurone disease. A group of former rugby union players is suing various governing bodies for allegedly failing to protect them from permanent injury.

AFP

Sports

Super Eagles’ 2026 World Cup Dream Ends In Penalty Shoot-out Loss To DR Congo

Published

10 hours ago

November 17, 2025

Editor

Nigeria will not be at the 2026 World Cup after they lost the CAF playoff final to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday night.

The Super Eagles took an early lead in the first half after Frank Onyeka’s shot was deflected in.

But the Leopards were level after Mechak Elia pounced on a defensive error to finish past Stanley Nwabali.

The game ended 1-1 after 120 minutes and was decided on penalties.

Calvin Bassey, Moses Simon and Semi Ajayi all missed their kicks as DR Congo clinched the ticket to represent Africa at the intercontinental playoffs.

They will now play in a six-team intercontinental qualifier, which will be staged from March 23 to 31 in 2026 to decide the final two sides for next year’s World Cup.

Sports

NPFL26: Bendel Insurance Beat Kano Pillars 3-2

Published

1 day ago

November 15, 2025

Editor

Bendel Insurance jinx of inconsistent and goal drought in the current Nigeria Premier Football League season were on Saturday evening broken at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin as they defeated Kano Pillars 3-2 to move a step out of the deep.
‎
‎The Benin Arsenals returned to winning ways with a remarkable 3-2 comeback
‎victory over the sai Masu Gida side with goals from Kayode Oke, Emmanuel Dung and Akpan Emmanuel who handed
‎ Kennedy Boboye his first maximum points since joining Insurance over a month ago.
‎.
‎Kayode Oke opened scoring for Insurance in the 17th minute, but veteran midfielder Rabiu Ali got an equalizer for the visitors from the penalty spot in the 34th minute.

READ ALSO:Bendel Insurance Head Coach Suspended
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‎Four minutes later, Chiedozie Okorie gave Pillars the lead in the halftime of the match day 13 encounter under the rain.
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‎Insurance returned for the second half with double substitution and mounted much pressure on the visitors and got rewarded for their efforts with a spirited comeback when Emmanuel Dung powered an equalising goal for Insurance in the 77th minute with a rocket strike from the edge of the box to send the already agitated home fans into wild jubilation.
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‎As time drifted away from the regulation mark, Emmanuel Akpan sealed the victory with a stoppage-time strike in the 88 minutes.

‎It was Insurance second victory and first for coach Kennedy Boboye in the current football season.

The Benin Arsenals now move up to 17th on the table with 12 points.

READ ALSO:Enabulele Congratulates Bendel Insurance For Pre-Season Tournament Performance
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‎Speaking during a post match media conference, coach Kennedy Boboye said that he was relieved to have his first maximum points as Vendel Insurance Manager after five matches -one loss, one win and three draws so far.
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‎He said that he remains focused and determined to get out of the red zone.

‎”I am relieved and happy we got the victory we have been looking for and I must give it to my players,fans and the supporters club who are always there for us irrespective of the results we posted.
‎I dedicate the victory to them,” he said.
‎

Sports

Arsenal’s Gabriel Injured In Senegal Friendly

Published

1 day ago

November 15, 2025

Editor

Arsenal’s defensive rock, Gabriel Magalhães, limped off during Brazil’s 2-0 friendly win over Senegal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

This injury is going to be a major headache for Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta, who still has many players out injured.

The 27-year-old Brazilian center-back was forced to depart in the 64th minute, clutching his right thigh and groin area following a seemingly innocuous challenge. He was replaced by Flamengo’s Wesley.

This comes at the worst possible time for the Premier League leaders, who face Tottenham in the North London Derby on November 23, barely a week away, followed by Champions League and league tests against Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti later confirmed it was a muscular issue but offered no timeline, stating: “We’ll have to wait and see on the extent—it’s too early to say.”