Roger Alton

Football needs its own Mr Bates

[ITV] 
issue 27 January 2024

Did football officials watch Mr Bates vs The Post Office? They should have – and learned from it. Otherwise they could be next in the crosshairs of a TV dramatist. Just as the Post Office failed to act as they should have done to protect sub-postmasters, football – and rugby for that matter – is showing no noticeable signs of urgency to look after its players despite growing evidence that both sports are contributing to long-term brain damage.

Day after day we see young men heading the ball with an indifference that gives you a headache just to watch

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