NOBBY STILES DIED WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, CORONER RULES

England's 1966 World Cup winner Nobby Stiles died with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain injury associated with repeated head trauma, a coroner has ruled. Chris Morris, area coroner for Greater Manchester South, told Stockport Coroner's Court that a neuropathology expert had examined samples and medical records of Stiles, who died in October 2020 at the age of 78. Morris ordered that a full inquest into the death must be held. Stiles's son John has previously stated that football had "killed" his father.

The coroner noted that Stiles's death was not reported to the coroner's office for investigation at the time it occurred, with the investigation only beginning after information was provided by the ex-footballer's family. Neuropathology expert Dr Daniel du Plessis examined Stiles's brain and concluded his cause of death was Alzheimer's disease, but also identified high-stage CTE, stage three limbic predominant age related TDP-43, and small vessel cerebrovascular disease as contributing factors. Stiles was a tough-tackling defensive midfielder who was capped 28 times by England and played nearly 400 times for Manchester United. The former player was born in Manchester in 1942.

This ruling follows an inquest in January into the death of Gordon McQueen, a former Scotland, Manchester United and Leeds United defender, which found that heading the ball was "likely" to have contributed to a brain injury that was a factor in his death. McQueen was also diagnosed with CTE. Stiles's family has campaigned for football authorities to implement greater support for former players coping with injuries they claim resulted from their playing careers.