Football is a beautiful game but it is far too delicate. Players are muzzled like the ox in a bid to refresh the sport on a quotidian.
In the aftermath of the mid-season World Cup hosted in Qatar last year, a recent study by insurance group Howden has unveiled a concerning impact on the well-being of football players from Europe’s top five leagues.
The European Football Injury Index for the 2022-23 season, published a year after the tournament, brings to light a notable eight-day increase in players’ time spent on the sidelines due to injuries in the months following the event.
The study meticulously examined the effects of fixture congestion on player welfare, revealing a substantial rise in injury severity. In October 2022, 88 recorded injuries resulted in an average sideline duration of 11.35 days pre-tournament.
However, this number surged to 19.41 days in January 2023 after the World Cup. The most affected areas were the ankle (170%), calf/shin (200%), and hamstring (130%).
James Burrows, Howden’s head of sport, emphasized the significant impact, stating, “We’ve seen clearly that the staging of a men’s World Cup in a European winter led to players facing an extra eight days on the sidelines in the second half of the season, compared to the first.” This impact was consistent across major domestic leagues, including the English Premier League and the German Bundesliga.
Not only did the increased injury severity take a toll on player well-being, but it also contributed to a nearly 30% rise in financial impact, reaching 704.89 million euros across Europe’s top five leagues.
Burrows highlighted the implications for clubs and urged consideration for an improved alignment of domestic and international calendars, addressing the broader issue of fixture congestion.
The study’s data, encompassing 3,985 injuries in Europe’s top five leagues during the 2022-23 season, underscored the pressing need for change.
PFA chief executive Maheta Molango echoed these concerns, emphasizing that international players are at a ‘breaking point.’ Premier League stars, in particular, bore the brunt, with 49 players missing matches the month following the World Cup – a situation Molango deemed ‘unsustainable.’
Molango called attention to the relentless nature of football’s calendar on player health, cautioning against the continued expansion of the competition calendar without fully assessing the fallout.
The looming prospect of another winter World Cup in Saudi Arabia without a comprehensive evaluation of the repercussions from Qatar 2022 raises alarming concerns, marking a call to action for a more sustainable approach to the sport.
Culled in by Fortune Omosola
