BAN HEADING BALL BY 2030

Campaigners set a deadline of after World Cup in six years time

- PAUL HUTCHEON

THE widow of tragic footballer Frank Kopel has demanded a ban on headers in football by 2030 as part of a new campaign.

Amanda Kopel, who blames Frank's death from dementia on heading the ball, says the practice should end as she spoke out on his 75th birthday..

Frank, who played for Dundee United, Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers, died aged 65 in 2014 after a battle with vascular dementia.

Amanda believes his diagnosis was down to him heading the ball thousands of times during his career and is now part of the Heading Out campaign seeking to ban headers.

She said: "Frankie and I should be celebrating today and looking forward to the rest of our lives together, instead I've been grieving his loss and mourning him for 10 years. Football has to change as the game is a long, slow, certain killer while heading the ball is part of it.

"The game is called football not headball and the rules have to change. Nobody should head a ball - particularly children.