Prospective analysis of craniofacial soccer incidents during FIFA competitions: an observational study

Abstract

The aim of this prospective epidemiological study was to evaluate the occurrence of incidents involving the craniofacial region of soccer players during three official FIFA competitions. The craniofacial incidents were identified by video analysis of all 144 matches of two FIFA World Cups (2014/2018) and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. Data collection included incident type, incident severity, site affected, incident cause and referee decision. The multivariate Poisson regression model was performed to analyze the associations between covariates. A total of 238 incidents were observed in the craniofacial region (1.6 incidents/match), representing a rate of 48.5 incidents per 1000 hours. At least 80.6% of the matches presented at least one incident, and, in more than 60%, the referee's decision was no foul. According to severity, 26.8% of the incidents were classified as having mild or high severity. Incidents involving lacerations or fracture presented higher severity compared with hits (IRR 3.45[95%CI: 1.89-6.30]). Head-to-head impacts showed an incidence of severe incidents twice as high as those involving upper extremities (IRR 2.01[95%CI:1.07-3.76]). A high number of craniofacial incidents were observed in the last FIFA competitions. Head-to-head impacts and lacerations or fractures were associated with higher incident severity.

Retrospective Analysis of Head and Maxillofacial Injuries: FIFA World Cup 2022 Report

“…The frequency of head and maxillofacial injuries during the World Cup and its preseason can be considered very low (5.69%) as stated before in the literature [1,12,15]. Approximately 9% to 18% [1,12,15] decreases to about 6%, but this can be explained since only injuries associated to athlete substitution or absence were included in the present report. Although few in number [1],…”

“…Approximately 9% to 18% [1,12,15] decreases to about 6%, but this can be explained since only injuries associated to athlete substitution or absence were included in the present report. Although few in number [1],…”

“…In the 2014 FIFA World Cup, an Argentinian player, Javier Mascherano suffered a concussion as did the Uruguayan player Alvaro Pereira in another match. These incidences prompted FIFA to refine their safety protocol for concussion injuries necessitating the game to be stopped immediately and seek medical attention [1]. If during the assessment, the concussion injury is considered a cause of concern, the involved player is substituted, and this substitution does not count towards the allocated quota of substitutions permitted for the team.…”

“…The final decision regarding the fitness of the player is determined by the medical staff and not by the player. Not only FIFA, but other sports bodies such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are also amending their legislation to promote fair play, and improve player safety [1,17]. Other measures as harder penalties for the offending players and additional training of referees have been implemented and have demonstrated potential benefits in preventing injuries [12].…”

“…Soccer is the most played sport in the world, as the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) estimates that there are more than 200 million players worldwide [1,2]. Sports injuries constitute a recognized main cause of maxillofacial injuries.…”