FIFA has taken a step foward by iniating a move that would require footy players to undergo regular health assessments in a bid to reduce deaths due to cardiac arrest.
FIFA chief medical officer Jiri Dvorak said Thursday that extensive heart tests for players and questions about their family’s medical history could help identify the most common causes of cardiac arrest. FIFA implemented such a policy for the 2006 World Cup in Germany and now wants it extended to all leagues and other competitions.
“The incidence of soccer deaths is not any higher than other sports. But football is the biggest sport in the world,” Dvorak said. “There are more people playing and watching football than, say, windsurfing.”
Dvorak said there were an estimated 1,000 cardiac deaths every year among athletes – recreational and professional – around the world.
“Most are dying from undiagnosed, undiscovered congenital heart disease,” Dvorak said. “Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in society. It’s very common.”
