'Just not enough dementia support & that's a disgrace'

THE Professional Footballers' Association has been branded a “disgrace” for its perceived failure to adequately tackle the dementia crisis among ex-players.

- EXCLUSIVE BY DAVID MCDONNELL

Former players are three-and-a-half times more likely to be diagnosed with dementia than the general population, as a result of heading the ball over a sustained period during their careers.

The PFA and the Premier League launched the Football Brain Health Fund (FBHF), with £1million initially made available to ex-players and their families who have been impacted by dementia.

But former Manchester United defender David May said that figure is nowhere near enough to cover the costs for the families of those ex-players who are suffering from dementia.

May also claimed PFA chief Maheta Molango - the highest paid union boss in the country, on £650,000 a year - has failed to give sufficient answers as to where the money has been spent.

"I've written to him four times now, asking where the funds go," said May, who also featured for Blackburn Rovers, Huddersfield Town and Burnley during his playing career.