January 3 – Over three-quarters of professional footballers questioned in England and Scotland believe depression is a genuine problem in the sport, according to a survey published by one of Britain’s leading football magazines.
The survey of 100 players undertaken by FourFourTwo magazine just over a year after the apparent suicide of former Wales manager Gary Speed revealed some startling statistics about the extent of the illness, with 78 percent agreeing depression was a serious issue.
Speed, a superb midfielder in his playing days, was found hanged at his home in November at the age of 42, a tragedy that sent shock waves around the world and prompted a wave of tributes from colleagues. At his inquest, his widow said he had previously talked of “taking his life”.
One unnamed player from the third tier of English football told FourFourTwo that depression “can affect a lot of players. I know because I have been there. The easy route was to give up the game completely – I was in a dark place.”
The chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), Gordon Taylor, said his organisation recognized how
depression spares no-one, not even at the top of the game.
“It is an issue we have been dealing with now for some time and we are looking to ensure that people are aware of what support systems there are,” he told Press Association.
Tragically, former Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke (pictured) killed himself by leaping in front of a train in 2009, his suicide chronicled in the prize-winning book A Life Too Short.
Other issues in the FourFourTwo survey found 43 percent of respondents agreeing there were too many foreign players in English football while 26 percent said they had witnessed racism.
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