Scottish FA set to ban children under the age of 12 from heading in training

Children could be banned from heading the ball in Scotland because of links between football and dementia.

Later this month, the Scottish FA is expected to announce a ban on under-12s heading the ball in training.

The United States have put a similar ban in place since 2015 but the SFA would become the first European country to impose such a restriction.

The decision follows the release of a report by the University of Glasgow last October, which discovered former professional footballers were three-and-a-half times more likely to die of a degenerative brain disease.

Former Arsenal and Celtic striker John Hartson praised the Scottish FA for their stance on the subject.

He told the BBC: “Heading was a massive part of my game. Managers bought me because I could head the ball.

“There have been some serious situations where players have lost their lives and ex-legends suffering from dementia, so I’m glad the SFA are leading the rest of football and doing something about it.”