The increase of injuries in football? Not only the most numerous matches, but also the Social media have their share of responsibility. It was he who raised this question Christian Panucci, former AC Milan and Real Madrid footballer, now coach and television commentator. During the Howden Talk on the risks for sports champions, organized in Cervia on the occasion of the Italian Open golf, Panucci expressed his concerns on the various factors that contribute to this phenomenon, highlighting in particular thepsychological impact arising fromuse of social media.
The impact of social media on footballers' health
Panucci highlighted how i social media can impact the psychological well-being of modern footballers. A disappointing performance can lead to an avalanche of criticism and insults online, causing stress and anxiety which, in turn, can increase the risk of injury. An example is Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who received numerous negative messages after Italy's defeat against Spain at the European Championships. This psychological stress can result in muscle tension, increasing the likelihood of injury.
"There's a psychological aspect, today for a footballer a bad performance means receiving hundreds of insulting messages that stick in his head. Let's think about Di Lorenzo, an excellent player: how many could he have received after the defeat against Spain at the European Championships? Today, yes they risk stress-related injuries, from negativity for a badly played match. You enter the field with i muscles so tense due to the emotional burden of risking injury."
Athletic training is also changing
In addition to the psychological aspects, Panucci underlined the changes in athletic training methodologies as another factor that contributes to increasing the risk of accidents. In the past, footballers prepared intensively during the summer to face a long season of league and European competitions. Today, however, this is no longer the case: “It's not a question of the number of games played in a season, which are not many more than the ones we played. We in the summer we prepared the muscle to the fact that, in the championship and Champions League, we could no longer train. If you are not trained, if you haven't put gas in with your summer job, you risk more. Nowadays in the summer we go around playing friendlies after a week. If we watch the games, all the kids have cramps. In my time we had few of them, it's precisely because football has changed."
Injury: the economic implications
Injuries are not only a problem for individual athletes, but also represent a economic risk also important for clubs. Federico Casini, CEO of Howden Italia, spoke about “Howden Men's European Football Index 2022/2023“, a report that analyzed injuries in the five major European leagues. The latest edition showed a 30% increase in accident costs, going from 550 million euros to over 700 million. The leagues most affected were the English Premier League and the German Bundesliga, with Real Madrid and AC Milan among the most damaged teams.
The increase in injuries also affects golf
even the golf, traditionally considered a low-risk sport, saw a increase in injuries. Emanuele Canonica, a veteran of European golf, shared his experience, explaining how injuries are doubled compared to the past. Golfers suffer from arm, hand and neck problems, often due to intensive training and frequent competition. “Golfers' injuries have doubled compared to the past” explains Canonica who in 2010 had to stop for two years due to a neck problem, “arms, hands, neck and more: people get hurt even at 20, 25, 30 years. The golfer has a long career, today it starts at 17-18 years and can reach 40-45 years. If we think that we play six days a week for many hours a day, training and going to the gym, it is normal for injuries to happen sooner or later. I believe that at least 80% of players in their career have suffered at least one injury, and more than one has even had to stop." Canonica then underlined theimportance of insurance, “it is precious”, especially for young people who tend to underestimate the risks.
While in Panucci's time professional footballers were already aware of the importance of insuring themselves, often adding individual coverage to that provided by the club, in Canonica's time golfers did not have the same opportunities today to protect their careers.
The importance of insuring facilities and athletes
Protection against risks is essential not only for athletes, but also for sports facilities and event organizers. During the Howden Talk, it was asked Federico Casini what would happen if a sudden tornado destroyed everything on the eve of the Ryder Cup: “Howden has created coverage to guarantee the various stakeholders involved in such a disaster” explained Casini “all the structures, which we protect from atmospheric events, would certainly have been insured. And not only direct damages would have been reimbursed, but also those resulting from the failure to hold the event: for example the costs for the entire organisation, from set-ups to catering, just as the costs for missed television broadcasts would have been reimbursed. Ours”, concluded Casini “is a service that takes into consideration all the different interests which revolve around a large event." Howden is very active and specializes in sports risk cover and insured 550 golf clubs in the UK alone, including some of the most prestigious.
