They report that the cost of the number of injuries in European soccer is close to $800MM

MANCHESTER.- The increasing number of injuries to top players cost nearly $800 million in Europe’s top leagues last season, according to a report published Tuesday.

At a time of growing concern over the number of games players are being asked to play, the European Men’s Football Injury Rate revealed that there were 4,123 injuries in England’s top divisions, Spain, Germany, Italy and France in the 2023-24 campaign.

The cost of the injuries was based on the reported salaries of the players in question.

The report highlighted increased pressure on teams as a result of the newly expanded Club World Cup, which will take place in the United States next year.

The number of injuries has increased year on year since the index was first published in 2021 and the latest report said “it would be fair to expect a continuation of this upward trajectory.”

Just a day before the report was published, a players’ union and European leagues filed a formal complaint with the European Union against world soccer’s governing body, FIFA.

The Club World Cup has faced continued pushback over concerns over player welfare since its new extended format, involving an increase from seven to 32 teams, was announced last year.

The previous month, Manchester City midfielder Rodri said players were close to going on strike amid mounting demands on them, including an expanded Champions League this year. The Spain international suffered a season-ending knee injury days after those comments.

The Football Index has recorded an increase in injuries even before the expansion of the Club World Cup and Champions League.

It said there had been 14,292, excluding COVID-19, in the top five European leagues since the 2020-21 season. That cost $2.5 billion based on reported salaries.

Last season alone, the figure was $798 million.

Alarming numbers

On average, there was one injury every 92 minutes of football involving teams in those leagues.

It found that German teams suffered the most injuries per game (1.72). German teams also ranked top 13 in terms of injury susceptibility and accounted for 15 of the top 20.

Of the teams least susceptible to injuries, the top four were all from the French league.

The report said there was a “concerning trend” around players under the age of 21, who were suffering an increase in serious injuries.