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"The response from the Professional Footballers' Association hasn't been good at all" - John Giles

On Wednesday night, ex-Ireland and Crystal Palace defender Damien Delaney revealed his "atrocious...



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"The response from the Professional Footballers' Association hasn't been good at all" - John Giles

On Wednesday night, ex-Ireland and Crystal Palace defender Damien Delaney revealed his "atrocious" experience dealing with the Professional Footballers' Association.

Ex-Chelsea, Blackburn and Celtic striker Chris Sutton has also been very critical of the players' representative body this week.

John Giles also echoed those sentiments. He was speaking in relation to the experience of his brother-in-law and former Manchester United team-mate Nobby Stiles, who also won the 1966 World Cup.

The Leeds and Ireland legend was discussing the PFA and the FA-commissioned Glasgow University study about the links between football and dementia.

The report found that former footballers are approximately three-and-a-half times more likely to pass away from neurodegenerative disease when compared to the general population.

Discussing the findings on our weekly Thursday Night Football with John Giles, he addressed the PFA in regards to Stiles.

"In my experience through Nobby Stiles, the Professional Footballers' Association haven't done nearly as much as they should have done for players who have illnesses. Not just dementia but other illnesses," he said.

Proactive

"Nobby Stiles is a brother-in-law of mine and Nobby got dementia five or six years ago. He's in a home now. But I can honestly say, the response from the Professional Footballers' Association hasn't been good at all. And neither, as Chris Sutton [said] with his Dad [who] had dementia, it hasn't been good at all.

"[The PFA] didn't do anything to help [Nobby]. The Professional Footballers' Association have a lot of money. I think they should be proactive in people who have serious illnesses to help them as much as they possibly can.

"And I think they have a policy that you have to go to them. A lot of people have gone and haven't had a very good response - Nobby included in that. That's one aspect of it."

John also added: "I think the family would be disappointed in the lack of support from the clubs that Nobby played for but particularly the PFA, who do have the resources."

You can watch the full chat with John Giles above via our YouTube channel. He also discusses Manchester United vs Liverpool and his thoughts on Roy Keane's punditry. You can also listen in on the podcast version.


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Chris Sutton Dementia Football John Giles Nobby Stiles Off The Ball PFA Professional Footballers Association