The family of the late former Tottenham and Ireland defender Joe Kinnear are suing football authorities, alleging they didn’t take reasonable action to protect players from injuries caused by blows to the head.

The family of Kinnear, who had dementia and died last month, are taking part in a wider legal action.

Lawyers for a group of 35 former players say six of the claimants have died during the litigation process against the English Football Association, the English Football League, the Football Association of Wales and the sport’s lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB).

The latest hearing is due at the High Court today in central London.

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“Today’s hearing is the latest milestone in our campaign to seek justice for those who were not protected by the football governing bodies from sustaining brain damage,” said solicitor Richard Boardman of Rylands Law.

“The sheer scale of the problem is illustrated by the fact that we have filed more than 8,000 pages of medical records and legal documents for the first 17 football claimants alone.

“The defendants are going to remarkable lengths to delay proceedings and are already in breach of court protocols to disclose documents.”

IFAB declined to comment on the case when asked last year by Sky News.

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FIFA has dismissed calls for temporary concussion substitutes, following a request from players’ unions concerned about long-term brain damage caused by head injuries.

FIFA‘s preference is for teams to make an extra permanent substitution to replace players suspected of having a concussion.

Last year a Swedish study found footballers are 50% more likely to develop dementia than the rest of the population.

But goalkeepers – who rarely head the ball – had no increased risk of Alzheimer’s or dementia, the research added.

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