FIGC and FSGC deliver second module of UEFA Football Doctor Education Programme

On 9 and 10 May, at the Aleph Rome Hotel in the Italian capital, the Italian and San Marino Football Associations jointly delivered the second module of the UEFA Football Doctor Education Programme (FEDP), dedicated to “player protection”.

The opening session was led by the Chairman of the FIGC Medical-Scientific Committee, Paolo Zeppilli, who then handed over to Fiorentina team doctor Luca Pengue, who shared first-hand experience of player protection practices. Daniele Mazza, doctor of the Italy Under-21 side, then addressed the subject of capsulo-ligamentous knee injuries. The first day concluded with a contribution from Anna Nördstrom of the Royal Sweden University, who engaged the audience with theoretical and practical sessions on the management of head injuries – an area on which UEFA has long placed particular emphasis.

On Saturday, it was Simone Grana, orthopaedic doctor and Vice President of the FSGC, who opened the day of in-depth work with a presentation on injuries in football. As in every high-level educational meeting, there was also a focus on assessing the current situation and the potential development of the sports medicine landscape: Luca Labianca had the honour and responsibility of drawing together the threads of the UEFA FDEP project, before turning to the topic of minimum medical requirements laid down by ad hoc regulations in UEFA competitions. The rest of the second day was devoted to BLS procedures, which are crucial in situations of potential cardiac or respiratory arrest. Vincenzo Castelli and staff from the Giorgio Castelli Foundation guided all participants through a refresher on each life-saving operation, and led practical drills in the afternoon. The final hour of work on Saturday afternoon was reserved for discussion of clinical cases and closing remarks.

In addition to Simone Grana, the medical and healthcare personnel involved in the San Marino football system who took part in the UEFA FDEP sessions in Rome included Elena Zamagni, Federico Gorrieri, Mattia Gallo and Guido Cocci.