Frequent heading of a football "does cause concussion and possible longer term neurological problems," scientists in the U.S. revealed in research published on Thursday which "adds strength to demands" that the Professional Football Association end "years of delay and investigate links between the sport and brain disease." As "pressure builds" on both the PFA and FA to commission scientific research into whether heading is the cause of premature neurological disease, a study of 222 adult amateur players published in the journal of the American Academy of Neurology revealed that repeated heading "was a cause of concussion, as well as one-off collisions which brought blows to the head." The research found that 20% of the players had experienced "moderate to very severe" concussion symptoms after playing the game over a two-week period. The paper "did not examine longer term effects on brain structure and function, only the occurrence of concussion-related symptoms" (London INDEPENDENT, 2/1).
The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup final will be held at Levi's Stadium on July 26. Levi's Stadium is "one of 14 venues in 13 cities that will host matches in the 14th edition of the regional competition." This year's edition of the Gold Cup will visit venues that include four first-time hosts in Santa Clara; Cleveland, Ohio; Nashville, Tennessee; and San Antonio, Texas (AFP, 2/1).
League Championship sides Queens Park Rangers and Fulham have been fined £40,000 ($50,108) and £36,000 ($45,097), respectively, "for incidents during the west London derby" on Jan. 21. The FA "charged both Rangers and the Whites following a clash between the two clubs' coaching staff and a melee involving players" (BBC, 2/2).
Olympic Council of Asia President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah of Kuwait will "seek re-election to the FIFA Council after the Asian Football Confederation named him as one of eight candidates for the four spots available for the continent." The FIFA Council "replaced the largely discredited Executive Committee as FIFA's decision-making body under reforms instituted in the wake" of the '15 corruption scandal in football's world governing body (REUTERS, 2/2).
