Sammarinese doctors in Rome for the UEFA Football Doctor Education Programme 2026

A new meeting was held in Rome as part of the UEFA Football Doctor Education Programme (FDEP), whose objectives were reiterated at the opening of proceedings by Paolo Zeppilli, Head of the Medical and Scientific Area of the FIGC. The introduction to the two-day programme was given by Luca Labianca, orthopaedic specialist and sports physician, who is responsible for the UEFA FDEP within the FIGC and also serves as an instructor.

Over two days, on 15–16 May, a large number of doctors took part in in-depth sessions covering: health, performance and injuries related to elite women’s football (speakers: Michela Cammarano and Alessandro Carcangiu – doctors of the Italian Women’s National Team); pitchside management of fractures and dislocations, injuries to the lower limbs and pelvic girdle (speaker: Angelo De Carli – orthopaedic specialist and lecturer at the “La Sapienza” University); episodes of collapse and cardiac arrest (speaker: Riccardo Monti – specialist in Sports Medicine and expert in cardiac prevention protocols). This was followed by a focus on invasive airway management and an introduction to BLS-D concepts, presented respectively by Beatrice Manca (anaesthetist and intensive care physician at the “Sant’Andrea” Hospital in Rome) and Carlos A. Zapata (BLS-D Instructor at the “Giorgio Castelli” Foundation).

On the first day, alongside detailed theoretical updates, there were also practical sessions on airway management, BLS-D and techniques for managing spinal trauma. The second day opened with Anna Nordström – a specialist in concussion and head injuries, member of the UEFA Medical Committee and lecturer at UiT in Tromsø. Practical scenario exercises and clinical concussion tests preceded a demonstration session in VR – coordinated by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Ferrara – on BLS-D. The productive two-day workshop dedicated to the UEFA Football Doctor Education Programme held in Rome saw the participation of Sammarinese doctors who regularly accompany both national and other teams of the Republic of San Marino.