Terry Butcher, playing for England in the 1989 match against Sweden
Terry Butcher, former England captain, has called for the gradual elimination of football's head-to-head rule to avoid "catastrophic" injuries to the head.
The 62-year old told The Sports Desk podcast that he doesn't believe it's something he can live without.
Nobby Stiles' family said last year that football must "address" the scandal of dementia.
Butcher stated, "Eventually, I want to see soccer without any heading."
Research has shown that ex-footballers have a three and a quarter times higher chance of dying from dementia than the general population.
To protect the welfare of players, the Football Association recommended that no more than 10 higher-force headers be performed in any training week. This practice is prohibited in sessions for under-11s and is banned among all other age groups.
Butcher, who was a centre-back for Ipswich, Rangers and England, famously injures his head while playing for England against Sweden 1989. He is now covered in blood.
Butcher stated that the doctor needed to respond quickly to place stitches and get him back on the pitch as quickly as possible.
"People only saw the games. They didn't see any of the training. The training session included a lot of head coaching. Each week, we just tried to clear the lines and defend our crosses.
Stiles, who died last October from dementia, was the fifth member of England's 1966 World Cup winning team.
John, his son, said that he "no doubts" that the heading led to the death of his father.
A re-examination on the brain of Jeff Astle (ex-West Bromwich Albion) revealed that he died from a condition usually associated with boxers in 2014.
"We have seen photos of many of the past footballers with dementia and Alzheimer's, and it breaks our hearts. Butcher stated that the family and friends will be most affected.
"I believe what the Astle and Stiles families are looking for is the organizations - Fifa, Uefa especially the Football Association – to care for the families that have suffered now."
"Heading can adapt as much as it can"
Spennymoor, Team Solon and the first adult game without heading restrictions
Spennymoor Town hosted the first ever adult 11-aside football match featuring heading restrictions. This was done to raise awareness about dementia.
Butcher stated that modern playing styles don't require that you be able to go.
He said that he believes that [heading] has been strong in Britain, especially with the way we used to play but not as much now. I think we can live without it.
It would eliminate the trauma of driving a football at speed - brain trauma - because your brain will rattle against your skull. Aerial collisions are something you don't have any control over.
"I don’t believe that people realize the importance of this or that there are things in football that could be disastrous for their future.
"The risk of getting a red card has caused tackles to be diluted from the level they were in my time. You can also adapt your head.
"I believe the fans love watching good football played."
FA Response
The FA released a statement saying that it had "helped lead the way in groundbreaking research". It also stated that the PFA has issued a call to research on new independent evidence-based research regarding the increased death risk from neurodegenerative diseases in ex-professional footballers. This will focus primarily on the causes of the increased risk.
"We have made some changes in the way that the game is played here in England. This includes the issue of heading guidance at every level in the English football pyramid. We support the trials of concussion replacements in the Emirates FA Cup and Barclays FA Women's Super League, as well as the FA Women's Championship.
"Collaboration among football's governing body is key to better understand this issue collectively. We firmly believe that all football areas should work together for this purposeful cause.
