Information about a piece of news titled Injuries among FIFA referees
Injuries among FIFA referees
Intoduction
More than 40% of all referees from the FIFA WorldCup 2006 reported at least one injury during their career, and musculoskeletal complaints were documented in more than 60% of all individuals.
All 123 international referees and assistant referees selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup were asked to answer a specific questionnaire on injuries and musculoskeletal complaints during a preparation camp in the spring of 2006. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany (June 2006), the physical problems of the 63 officiating referees and assistant referees were documented.
Half of the referees received treatment because of a new injury (22%) and/or musculoskeletal complaints (30%). The most common injuries were hamstring strains, calf strains, and ankle sprains. Low back, calf, and Achilles tendon were the frequent locations of musculoskeletal complaints.
The incidence of match injuries (none of them causing absence from officiating) was obviously lower in referees than in football players during this tournament. However, this indicates that injuries and physical problems are a concern in elite referees, who have to perform at high level to match the physiological and psychological demands of modern football. Therefore, injury prevention programs should be developed and integrated in the training routine of this group of athletes.
The results of this study are now published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The authors are Mario Bizzini, Astrid Junge, Roald Bahr, WErner Helsen and Jiri Dvorak.