Danger from headballs? Annual brain test for Bundesliga professionals to come

In order to detect possible brain damage earlier, all professionals from the 36 first and second league clubs will have to undergo an annual brain test in future. This is stated in a circular from the DFB and the German Football League (DFL) to the clubs, which is available to the Bild am Sonntag.

The decision was taken by the DFB Medical Commission, whose chairman is the national team physician Tim Meyer. For years, sports physicians have denounced the underestimation of the danger of long-term damage caused by head injuries during aerial combat. Even too many headballs can lead to the regression of brain cells.

Due to the circumstances surrounding the substitution of national player Christoph Kramer in the 2014 World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro, the problem became known to a wider public for the first time. After a collision with Argentinian Ezequiel Garay, the confused Kramer asked referee Nicola Rizzoli twice whether the current match was the final.

The Italian impartial reported team captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, Kramer was replaced by Andre Schürrle. Even today, the 28-year-old cannot fully remember all the details of the encounter.

According to a British study from 2017, professional footballers are more susceptible to brain damage than boxers or football players.