‘How football failed Nobby Stiles’ Family of 1966 World Cup hero reveal dementia struggle

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Nobby was struck down by Alzheimer's and vascular dementia 15 years ago

The former Manchester United star, who also has prostate cancer, was struck down by Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia 15 years ago.

Yesterday his family said there had been “virtually no communication” from United since Stiles left the club.

It was claimed that when Stiles, 74, asked for match tickets for his granddaughter Caitlin’s birthday in 2009, he was told he would have to pay full price for them.

His heartbroken son Rob said: “One of the very few other times we remember them getting in touch was when they wanted dad to do a dinner for them for free. The pleasure that dad brought for so many doesn’t seem to count for anything now.”

The pleasure that dad brought for so many doesn’t seem to count for anything now

Rob Stiles

Last summer Stiles was too ill to attend celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of England’s victory over West Germany in the World Cup final.

It has emerged that Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney sent the family a hand-written card saying how much he enjoyed watching footage of Stiles and how sorry he was to hear he was struggling.

Last year the Daily Express campaigned for Stiles and his 1966 England team-mates to be knighted before it is too late.

The crusade was launched after revelations that he, along with teammates Ray Wilson and Martin Peters, had had dementia diagnosed.

OFFSIDE

Nobby Stiles was in the winning squad which saw through the 1966 World Cup

Jack Charlton also revealed that he suffers from severe memory loss.

Former team-mate Sir Bobby Charlton and the rest of the World Cup squad are among the few people involved in the game who remained supportive over the years.

In 2010 Stiles, who still lives near Old Trafford, suffered a mini-stroke before announcing he was selling his medals and football memorabilia to raise money for his family.

Stiles’s family also criticised the Professional Footballers’ Association, saying the organisation contacted the family for the first time “in years” after last year’s anniversary.

The PFA wrote to Stiles’s wife Kay to say they had become aware a number of Sir Alf Ramsey’s team were not well and they wanted to help.

Boys of 1966: England World Cup winning squad
Wed, April 20, 2016

To celebrate 50 years since England lifted the World Cup in 1966, we take a look at previously unseen candid pictures from the squad's journey to the final. (The Boys of ’66: The Unseen Story Behind England’s World Cup Glory, by John Rowlinson)

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The winning England squad's path to Wembley

Mrs Stiles was then told that there was a means-tested scheme, if she wished to apply. She declined.

It is 15 years since the FA and PFA pledged to undertake a joint study into a possible link between dementia and football after the death of former West Bromwich Albion star Jeff Astle at the age of 59 after suffering a degenerative brain disease.

Rob Stiles added: “Dad’s illness hadn’t even become obvious to us when the FA and PFA first promised to look at the possible link between the game and the illness.

“We thought there would be some understanding in his lifetime. We are talking about football’s equivalent of industrial disease.”

Manchester United and PFA have so far failed to respond to requests for comment about the family’s claims.

Yesterday the revelations prompted an angry backlash on social media.

One fan wrote: “State of football when an agent gets paid £20million for a deal and a footballing hero like Nobby Stiles has to sell medals and struggle alone.”

Another said: “Sad to see this, Man Utd should be doing more for Nobby Stiles. Like to think football look after their own.”

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