July 17 – Aston Villa supporters paid tribute to the club’s former striker Dalian Atkinson who died after being shot by a taser by police. The circumstances of his death are being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), but once again raise questions about the duty of care for professional players once their careers end.
A turn-out of 34,924 for their mid-week Championship game against Huddersfield was higher than more than half their home games in last season’s Premier league campaign.
Fans held a minute’s applause 10 minutes into the game against Huddersfield Town and raised umbrellas around the ground in a tribute inspired by a famous celebration when Atkinson netted a memorable goal against Wimbledon.
The club also paid tribute to a player who scored 23 goals in 85 appearances between 1991 and 1995. He famously scored the opener in the 1994 League Cup final win over Manchester United.
After leaving Villa, Atkinson went on to play less successfully for Fenerbahce and Manchester City before ended his playing career in South Korea in 2001.
Former team mates say that he struggled to adjust to life after professional football once and his brother Kenroy said that he was “not in his right mind” when he was tasered.
Police had been called to his elderly father’s home where Atkinson was reported to be in a manic state and was threatening to kill his father
“My brother had lost it. He was in a manic state and depressed – out of his mind and ranting. He had a tube in his shoulder for the dialysis and he had ripped it out and was covered in blood,” Kenroy Atkinson told media.
One bystander reported seeing police shout and kick Atkinson before the taser was deployed several times. Atkinson was having dialysis treatment for kidney problems. After being tasered he went into cardiac arrest before dying 90 minutes later.
Geoff Scott, chairman of Xpro, which helps ex-footballers and their families, said the charity had been contacted by Atkinson’s family for help after he was taken to hospital earlier this year. But really the question needs to be asked of clubs if they are doing enough to prepare their players for life after football and whether they should have a greater duty of care towards them.
In Atkinson’s case there is also the very uncomfortable question that needs to be faced as to whether police reaction to the incident would have been the same if he had been a white rather than a black person.
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