The death of ex-Arsenal youth player Billy Vigar was “entirely preventable”, says former Bath City striker Alex Fletcher.
Vigar, 21, died on Thursday after sustaining a “significant brain injury” while playing for Chichester City the previous Saturday.
It is thought the injury was caused when he collided with a concrete wall, but the club has not confirmed this.
Fletcher retired from football at the age of 25 after crashing into concrete advertising hoardings during a National League South game for Bath City.
The now 26-year-old was placed in a coma after emergency surgery and did not play for 10 months. He has since taken a role in the brain health department within the Professional Footballers’ Association to advocate for enhanced player safety in football grounds.
“This was an entirely preventable situation,” Fletcher told BBC Breakfast.
“It brought a lot of emotions flooding back for me but my overriding emotion was frustration that the calls for change haven’t been listened to by the FA.
“I’m afraid this will not be the last [death] if action isn’t taken.”
The Football Association said it will carry out an immediate safety review of perimeter walls at football grounds in the National League system following Vigar’s death.
“This will include looking at ways we can assist National League system clubs to identify and implement additional measures at their stadiums that they determine will help to mitigate any potential safety risks,” its statement said.
However, Fletcher said there must be urgent action.
“I think it’s too little, too late,” said Fletcher.
“I think if you asked Billy’s family they would say, is it going to bring their son back?
“It’s something that needs to happen urgently because there are hundreds of football matches being played across the country at all levels where this kind of incident could occur again.
“It’s billed as a freak accident [but] it’s an accident waiting to happen, quite frankly.”
The FA has been contacted for comment. -BBC
