ArticleBritish journal of sports medicine2021
Resuming professional football (soccer) during the COVID-19 pandemic in a country with high infection rates: a prospective cohort study.
Article in British journal of sports medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 54 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
54 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Causes of COVID-19 Outbreaks During Sports and Exercise: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Conservative Interventions After Acute Hamstrings Injuries in Athletes: A Living Systematic Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2023Pooled it
- One Step Further: Integrating Evidence-Based Guidelines into Practice to Address Environmental Challenges at the Men's 2026 FIFA World Cup.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Review
- Long-term cardiovascular function and cardiopulmonary performance in athletes after COVID-19: results from the COSMO study.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Article
- Association between COVID-19 infection experience and physical activity levels in post-recovery college students.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Return-to-Play Timeline and Recovery Predictors After COVID-19 Infection in Elite Football Players.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Implementing SARS-CoV-2 Testing during a Large-Scale Sporting Event in Africa: Lessons Learned from the Africa Football Cup of Nations Tournament in Cameroon.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2025Article
- COVID-19 infection and return-to-play outcomes of elite athletes in Japan: a retrospective descriptive study.BMJ open sport & exercise medicine · 2025Article
- Mpox in sports: A comprehensive framework for anticipatory planning and risk mitigation in football based on lessons from COVID-19.Biology of sport · 2024Review
- Incidence of respiratory infections and SARS-CoV-2 is higher during contact phases in student rugby players - Lessons learnt from COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies-AWARE V.Sports medicine and health science · 2024Article
- The Padel phenomenon after the COVID-19: an Italian cross-sectional survey of post-lockdown injuries.European journal of translational myology · 2024Article
- Supporting athletes during a challenging situation: recommendations from a global insight of COVID-19 home-based training experience.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2024Article
- Impact of COVID-19 on football attacking players' match technical performance: a longitudinal study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Review
- Common Sports Infectious Disease.HSS journal : the musculoskeletal journal of Hospital for Special Surgery · 2023Review
- Effectiveness of patient triage at the orthopedic hospital and the hygiene concept in a professional handball team in the first year of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.Orthopadie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2023Review
- Left Ventricular Global Longitudinal Strain as a Parameter of Mild Myocardial Dysfunction in Athletes after COVID-19.Journal of cardiovascular development and disease · 2023Article
- Safety of International Professional Sports Competitions During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Association Football Experience.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2023Article
- Impact and control of the COVID pandemic in an elite sports club: Real Madrid.Revista espanola de quimioterapia : publicacion oficial de la Sociedad Espanola de Quimioterapia · 2023Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Injury Incidence in Japanese Male Professional Soccer Players.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe risk of viral transmission associated with contact sports such as football (soccer) during the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown. The aim of this study was to describe the infective and immune status of professional football players, team staff and league officials over a truncated football season resumed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in a country with high infection rates and to investigate the clinical symptoms related to COVID-19 infection in professional football players.
methodsProspective cohort study of 1337 football players, staff and officials during a truncated football season (9 weeks) with a tailored infection control programme based on preventive measures and regular SARS-CoV-2 PCR swab testing (every 3-5 days) combined with serology testing for immunity (every 4 weeks). Clinical symptoms in positive participants were recorded using a 26-item, Likert-Scale-based scoring system.
resultsDuring the study period, 85 subjects returned positive (cycle threshold (cT) ≤30) or reactive (30<cT<40) PCR tests, of which 36 were players. The infection rate was consistent with that of the general population during the same time period. More than half of infected subjects were asymptomatic, and the remaining had only mild symptoms with no one requiring hospitalisation. Symptom severity was associated with lower cT values. Social contacts and family were the most common sources of infection, and no infection could be traced to training or matches. Of the 36 infected players, 15 presented positive serology during the study period.
conclusionFootball played outdoors involving close contact between athletes represents a limited risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe illness when preventive measures are in place.
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