Cesc Fabregas, Como (foto: uradna spletna stran kluba)
Serie A club Como has become the first professional club in Italy to restrict heading in its academy, introducing new rules aimed at protecting young players from long-term brain injuries.
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Como have become the first professional football club in Italy to introduce strict limits on heading the ball in their youth academy, taking a major step in the growing effort to reduce the long-term neurological risks associated with football.
The initiative was driven by former France international Raphaël Varane, who now works with the Serie A club and has become one of the sport's leading voices on player brain health.
The decision follows a growing body of scientific evidence linking repeated heading to an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases later in life.
A recent study involving 7,676 former professional footballers found that defenders, who head the ball more frequently than any other players, are five times more likely to die from neurodegenerative diseases than the general population. Goalkeepers, who rarely head the ball, showed a risk much closer to that of people outside professional football.
Another major study conducted in Scotland over 18 years reached similar conclusions. Researchers found that strikers face approximately three times the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases, while defenders face a risk around five times higher. The conditions linked to repeated head impacts include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and motor neurone disease.
Researchers analysed the careers of players who competed from the 1930s until the early years of the new millennium. Although footballs have evolved from heavy leather balls to lighter synthetic versions, the improvement in equipment has not significantly reduced the long-term health risks.
The studies also revealed that former footballers generally enjoy better overall health than the wider population. They suffer fewer heart diseases, lower rates of lung cancer and are about half as likely to require hospital treatment for anxiety or depression. Their mortality rate is lower before the age of 70, but becomes higher after that age because of neurodegenerative illnesses.
Medical experts believe the damage comes not from spectacular collisions but from thousands of routine impacts accumulated throughout a career. Young players may head the ball 20 to 30 times during a single training session, leading to thousands of repeated impacts before they even become professionals.
Como's new academy rules
Como have decided to act on that evidence.
Players up to the Under-11 age group will no longer be allowed to head the ball. Corners and similar situations will instead be played along the ground.
From the Under-12 level onwards, heading will be limited to five headers per training session, and only with specially selected lightweight balls. The club has also banned over-inflated balls throughout the academy to reduce the force of impact.
Varane: "We have a responsibility"
Varane says his motivation comes from personal experience as well as from seeing the struggles of former teammates and opponents.
"I know a lot of former footballers who suffer from dementia. We have a responsibility to protect young players," Varane said.
The former Real Madrid, Manchester United and France defender suffered two concussions caused by repeated heading when he was only 16 years old.
"If children don't head the ball at a very young age, it doesn't mean they won't learn the skill later. Their brains are still developing, so we need to reduce unnecessary impacts to the head."
Varane also revealed that during his time at Manchester United he experienced abnormal fatigue and severe eye strain after a match in which he repeatedly headed the ball. According to the Frenchman, the club's medical staff advised him only to skip the following match rather than investigate the problem further.
His concerns have even influenced his own family, with Varane saying he has advised his son not to head the ball while he is still young.
Now, through his work at Como, those beliefs have been turned into concrete action. The Italian club hopes its academy model will encourage other clubs across Europe to reconsider how heading is taught during childhood and whether reducing unnecessary impacts today could protect players' health decades later.