Theo Walcott has criticised England’s players for ‘forgetting’ a few mascot with dementia before their recent friendly against Wales.
Twenty-two supporters living with the condition were used as mascots for last week’s friendly at Wembley in aid of an Alzheimer’s charity.
They joined each the England and Wales squad to walk out with the players in front of a crowd of greater than 78,000 people and accompanied the players for the national anthems.
After half-time each teams returned to the pitch without names on the back of their shirts to symbolise memory loss, one of the common symptoms of dementia.
It was not the primary time the England have joined up with the Alzheimer’s Society and the partnership has raised greater than £1.2m for the charity over the past 4 years.
The campaign was widely praised as essential and emotional by fans but ex-England and Arsenal winger Walcott was ‘frustrated’ by one aspect.
Walcott attended the sport to receive his ‘legacy cap’ and says he ‘noticed’ two of the mascots being ‘forgotten’ by the England players throughout the national anthems.
Considered one of the mascots who was ‘left’, in keeping with Walcott, was in a wheelchair.
‘I’m more of a positive person but let me start with a negative because being on the Wales game, in fact it was a friendly and also you never know what sort of game you’re going to get,’ he said on The Overlap US.
‘I believed it was a very beautiful moment after I was actually receiving my legacy cap, there was a video about Alzheimer’s and dementia in the sport and creating awareness for this, a variety of people suffer from this.
‘They’d the attractive moment where the mascots got here out which was amazing, people of the older generation who’ve come out and the players have walked them off. Amazing moment.
‘Nonetheless, I did notice throughout the national anthems that they left two of them, certainly one of them that was in a wheelchair.
‘Mainly, all of them got here out and when the Welsh did their national anthem, all of them huddled together and the mascots were all together.
‘The sad bit with England… and it’s not been seen, it’s not been known… people haven’t really seen it because they appear on the performance which is superb.
‘Nonetheless, it really frustrates me after I see the players that may go into something and do they really have awareness? Do they really know what they’re going into? Do they even know in regards to the charities?
‘Sometimes players don’t really understand what they’re doing at times and that’s the frustrating bit. They needs to be aware since it’s really essential to recognise this disease.
Mascot experience ‘incredible’
‘Football has such an exquisite power to attach people. A love of football can last your entire life.
‘And I feel for the mascots who’re walking out, not only is it going to be so impactful for them and their families, but I feel it’s also going to send an actual message about dementia.
‘There are 90,000 people living with dementia in London, but there are almost a million people within the UK. It’s the UK’s biggest killer. One in three people born today will probably be diagnosed with the condition.
‘So it’s incredibly essential we raise awareness and help to scale back a number of the stigma.’
Matt Hughes-Short, from Alzheimer’s Society, talking to BBC Sport.
‘I don’t wish to single out players. Nonetheless, it just shows the mindset where people and players forget in regards to the person.
‘It was such an interesting and sad moment after I saw the chap within the wheelchair, bless him, who was on the 1966 World Cup final and Sir Geoff Hurst did the video, to say to this gentleman that’s he’s going to be the mascot and he’s obviously in bits.
‘After which [during] the national anthem he’s left, where the England players all huddle up, and that was tough to see because none of the fellows were attempting to help.
‘I don’t need to dwell on that but I just feel it’s essential to recognise: yes, you’re a footballer, nonetheless, have a little bit of responsibility in taking care of the mascots.
‘It doesn’t matter in the event that they’re children, it doesn’t matter in the event that they’re older, and I feel that was the one thing that angered me in regards to the whole England journey.
‘You’ve got to grasp that the families have seen all this, they are going to remember it. In that moment, the mascot won’t and that’s the sad truth when you concentrate on it.
‘I don’t need to dwell on that nevertheless it was really sad to see. I feel the FA should really have a look at themselves in that sense.
‘They [the FA] have been good, nonetheless, a cause like this… I saw it, but nobody saw it properly, so it was interesting.’
Considered one of the 22 people living with dementia who got here out with the England and Wales teams can now not remember the experience lower than every week later.
Adron, 81, ‘forgot the Wembley experience just about right away’, in keeping with his son, who insisted his family would always remember ‘seeing his face’ before and throughout the match.
Adron, from Bristol, attended England’s World Cup win in 1966 and received a video message from legendary Sir Geoff Hurst before the sport.
His son Darren heartbreakingly revealed his father asked ‘did it really occur?’ after being shown photographs of him walking out with the players at Wembley.
One other of the mascots, Chelsea fan Raymond James, said he felt ‘very proud’ to walk out with the England and Wales players and ‘couldn’t imagine it’ when he was invited by Blues captain Reece James.
To search out out more in regards to the Alzheimer’s Society click here.
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