Jimmy Hill, 85, revealed to be suffering from dementia as legal battle erupts over his assets The former footballer and TV presenter is now living in a care home Hill was diagnosed in 2008, but his condition came to light at the weekend He gave joint powers of attorney to his current wife Bryony and a solicitor None of his children has any say over his treatment or assets Jimmy Hill - one of the most influential figures in English football and the face of Match of the Day for 25 years - is suffering from Alzheimer's, it emerged yesterday. The 85-year-old former footballer and television presenter is living in a care home near the South Coast after his condition deteriorated. Hill was diagnosed in 2008, but his battle with dementia only came to light yesterday amid a legal wrangle over his assets. Jimmy Hilll, pictured with his wife, Bryony, at their former home in Sussex in 1998 - he gave her joint powers of attorney with a solicitor He had given joint powers of attorney to his current wife Bryony, 62, and a solicitor in 2005, when he was still in good health. But Hill's five children from his two previous marriages only discovered the existence of the legal document in 2008, when Hill was deemed by doctors to be too ill to look after himself. As a result, none has any say over his future treatment or the management of his assets. His condition was made public yesterday by his youngest son Jamie, 46, and his daughter Joanna, 50, who are his two children from his second marriage. The pair said they decided to raise awareness of their father's illness to highlight concerns over the difficulties that arise when a parent with a large extended family becomes too poorly to make decisions for themselves. Jimmy Hill and Bryony at Buckingham Palace in 1995 - he received both an OBE and a CBE Jimmy Hill and Bryony in 1998 - his condition was made public yesterday by his youngest son Jamie, 46, and daughter Joanna, 50, who are his two children from his second marriage Jimmy Hill presenting the BBC's Match of the Day in 1981 - he racked up 600 appearances on the show Jimmy Hill pictured at a Fulham v Chelsea match in 2006 - he was diagnosed in 2008, but his condition only came to light at the weekend Mr Hill junior, a property consultant who lives in West London, said: "This will become a more common problem over the years because there are so many families in the same position as ours. Because of the power of attorney, the children have no say over decisions over dad's health care or his assets. Jimmy Hill had a massive impact on English football. During his successful playing career he became chairman of the Professional Footballers" Association in 1957 and later a manager. While at the PFA he succeeded in scrapping the maximum wage for players, paving the way for today's multi-million-pound footballers. He also pioneered all-seater stadiums and was instrumental in introducing the "three points for a win" rule in 1981 that helped transform the modern game into a far more exciting spectacle. His broadcasting career spanned 40 years and he racked up 600 appearances on Match of the Day. Mr Hill junior, who visits his father at the nursing home where he has been since last year, said: "He is the most sprightly physical specimen in the home, but his mind is not what it was. The home is the best place for him. That is not my complaint. My concern is we only discovered in 2008 that power of attorney had been signed three years earlier. We said in 2008 that if Bryony's lawyer steps aside and one of us children has joint power of attorney, we will be happy. Unfortunately, that was declined. We were told they had considered giving one of the children power of attorney in 2005, but decided against because it would have been too difficult to choose just one. Mr Hill has raised the issue with his local MP, Justine Greening, the International Development Secretary. Joanna Hill, who lives in Mexico, added: "It is a shame that we as his children have no rights over his care. Children whose parents have married more than once should be made aware that they will be unable to influence their affairs if they register a power of attorney. In his autobiography Hill admitted he had made mistakes in his private life and caused upset. Hill married his first wife Gloria, with whom he had three children, in 1950, when his playing career was taking off. He left her when his eldest son Duncan was only seven for his second wife Heather. He and Heather had two children but that marriage ended when Hill met Veronica Hopcraft on a football tour to the Caribbean to celebrate Coventry City's promotion to the old first division. Hill went on to hire Bryony, then 25, as his PA. They embarked on an affair behind Miss Hopcraft's back. The couple married 20 years ago and have been together ever since. Bryony Hill was unavailable for comment yesterday. In his heyday as a TV presenter: Jimmy Hill, left, pictured with another presenter with a famous chin, Bruce Forsyth Sporting icon: Once a successful footballer and manager, Jimmy Hill, pictured in 1964, also became chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association in 1957