David Beckham joins calls for more support for footballers affected by dementia

David Beckham has joined calls for shot authorities to bash much to assistance footballers affected by dementia and their families.

The erstwhile England skipper threw his enactment down the Football Families for Justice radical which gathered retired players and relatives connected Friday to lobby authorities connected encephalon injuries caused by the sport.

In a video connection played astatine an lawsuit successful Manchester, Beckham highlighted however 3 of his mentors astir Manchester United - England World Cup winners Sir Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles and "Class of 92" younker manager Eric Harrison - died from neurodegenerative diseases.

He said: "I privation to adhd my enactment to the enactment of John Stiles (Nobby's son) and Football Families for Justice successful their run to conscionable the needs of those affected.

"We request the shot household to travel unneurotic and allocate resources to assistance code the calamity of these devastating diseases.

"Let's guarantee that victims and their families are treated with kindness, respect and best-in-class support.

"I anticipation you volition articulation america successful ensuring a amended aboriginal for our erstwhile colleagues - the galore ex-professional footballers who person brought truthful overmuch joyousness to truthful galore fans and for their loved ones."

The shot campaigners were joined by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Region counterpart Steve Rotheram to telephone connected the authorities to amend the Football Governance Bill to woody with the "brain illness epidemic" successful the sport.

They privation it to necessitate "football authorities and the players' national to make a attraction and enactment strategy for players who make dementia oregon different neurodegenerative conditions, linked to their shot career, and a request that it beryllium agreed with players past and contiguous and their families".

Read much from Sky News:
Temperatures could autumn arsenic debased arsenic -20C
Glasgow's extremist attack to cause epidemic
Grooming gangs timeline: What happened

Five members of England's 1966 World Cup-winning squad aboriginal suffered from dementia.

The household of Nobby Stiles, who died successful 2020, accidental his encephalon was severely damaged by repeated heading of the ball.

Son John Stiles, who played for Leeds, said the existing Professional Footballers' Association money is "not acceptable for purpose" - peculiarly to money erstwhile players requiring semipermanent treatment.

"We privation a decently financed attraction money truthful players cognize if they get sick with dementia they volition beryllium cared for," said John Stiles.

"Football is truthful affluent it could benignant this retired time but we are obscurity adjacent getting that."

Mr Stiles said chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) volition go "more prevalent" successful the game.

"This is football's occupation and shot should beryllium paying for it - not the NHS and not the taxpayers," helium said.

The Football Association (FA) said it was taking a "leading role" investing successful and supporting projects connected players' health.

"We person already taken galore proactive steps to reappraisal and code imaginable hazard factors which whitethorn beryllium associated with shot whilst ongoing probe continues successful this country including liaising with the planetary governing bodies," an FA spokesperson told Sky News.