Expert says headers are too risky for youngsters

LONDON - The debate over the damage inflicted by heading a soccer ball took another turn on Wednesday as a leading expert on brain injuries said children under the age of 18 should not be allowed to do it.

Dr Bennett Omalu, who was the first specialist to discover how American football players were affected by chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), told the BBC he realized his remarks might jar with some people, but that society was evolving.

"No child under the age of 18 should be heading the ball in soccer," said the 49-year-old Nigeria-born naturalized American.