Why would the English play in the second half with an anonymous jersey?

England are gearing up to play their second friendly this international break. After the defeat against Brazil (0-1), the Three Lions face Belgium this Tuesday (8:45pm). The second half is a special match where England players wear unbranded jerseys.

This is one of the highlights from this Tuesday’s (8:45pm) friendly between England and Belgium at Wembley. Returning from the locker room, Gareth Southgate’s men will wear the no-name Three Lions tunic.

The reason is simple, the English Football Association (FA) has decided to launch a campaign to raise awareness of dementia. A term for a number of conditions that affect memory, thinking and the ability to perform daily tasks. Degenerative diseases, even today, are incurable.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 55 million people worldwide have dementia. There are nearly 10 million new cases each year. Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of this disorder, accounting for about 70% of cases. The names of Jude Bellingham and his teammates were deleted halfway through the match, illustrating the phenomenon of memory loss suffered by sufferers of the disorder.

Fans are encouraged to support their loved ones as much as they support their football team. Kate Lee, CEO of the Alzheimer’s Society.

This initiative is implemented in association with “Alzheimer Society”. A similar move was already made by England during a match against Switzerland in March 2022.

“We hope this wonderful gesture with the players jersey will once again inspire fans across the country to talk and think about the signs and symptoms of dementia.” Underlines the association’s CEO Kate Lee. “We hope to not only encourage fans to donate to our early diagnosis research, but to support their loved ones as much as they support their football team.”

1966 team disease

This cause affected English football for many years. Six players have contracted the disease since the 1966 World Cup. All died of mental retardation: Ray Wilson (2018), Martin Peters (2019), Peter Bonetti (2020), Nobby Styles (2020), Jack Charlton (2020) and most recently Manchester United legend and Paul de Gould (1966), Sir Bobby Charlton (2023).

This wave can be explained by repeated shocks and concussions caused by the title. In 2019, a Scottish study showed professional soccer players 3.5 times more likely to develop neurodegenerative diseases (dementia). This finding has been confirmed by many international works. Other famous soccer players have developed this type of pathology, such as the famous German center forward, Gerd Müller. Died in 2021.

To protect players’ health, the Premier League has put in place a protocol in case of concussion. From 2021, if a head injury occurs, a player must be substituted to avoid a second blow in the match. A six-day rest period is also prescribed.

In the federation’s press release, each sponsor is invited to complete a symptom checklist to prevent illness. At the end of the tournament, the jerseys will be auctioned off. All proceeds will support Alzheimer’s Society research into the disease.