World Cup winner Nobby Stiles died from traumatic brain injury, court hears

England World Cup winner Nobby Stiles died with a traumatic brain injury thought to be caused by repeatedly heading a football, a court has heard.

The former Manchester United player, 78, died in October 2020 with the injury, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is long associated with head trauma.

His family has since campaigned for football authorities to better support ex-players.

Stiles' son John has previously said that football had "killed" his father.

The 1966 World Cup winner, who was capped 28 times by England and made nearly 400 appearances for Manchester United, had been forced to sell his medals to fund his dementia care.

Chris Morris, area coroner for Greater Manchester South, told Stockport Coroner's Court neuropathology expert, Dr Daniel du Plessis, had examined samples and medical records and due to the injury a full inquest into his death is required.

Mr Morris said "for reasons not entirely clear to me" Stiles's death was not at the time reported to the coroner's office for investigation, which had only begun after information provided by the ex-footballer's family.

He added Dr Du Plessis had determined Stiles's cause of death as Alzheimers disease.

But he also said his death was contributed to by high-stage CTE.

Mr Morris continued: "On the basis of that cause of death, particularly the inclusion of a traumatic injury included in the cause of death, I'm satisfied an inquest is required into the sad death of Mr Stiles."

A full inquest hearing will be held on Wednesday next week, 15 July, at the same court, the coroner said.

John Stiles, head of the Football Families for Justice (FFJ) group, is among dozens of former footballers and their families suing the Football Association, the Football Association of Wales and the English Football League.

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They claim football's governing bodies were "negligent and in breach of their duty of care" to the former players.

Lawyers for the former players and their families have previously said football bodies knew or should have known that repeatedly heading a ball in training and during matches was likely to cause brain injuries, and the risks were known for decades.

In March this year, lawyers for The Football Association told the High Court it has "not been established by science" that heading a ball or "occasional" concussion can lead to permanent brain damage.

In January an inquest into the death of Gordon McQueen, 70, an ex-Scotland, Manchester United and Leeds United defender, found that heading the ball was "likely" to have contributed to his death.

A study in 2019, co-funded by the FA and Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), found footballers were three-and-a-half times more likely to die of neurodegenerative disease than age-matched members of the general population.

The FA is phasing out all heading in youth football up to under-11s by 2026.

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