October 16 – Injuries across Europe’s top five leagues have cost clubs a staggering £2 billion over the last four seasons, fuelling an increasingly hot topic over player welfare and an expanding international calendar.
There were 14,292 injuries across the Premier League, LaLiga, Ligue 1, Serie A and the Bundesliga from 2020-21 to 2023-24, according to the Howden Men’s European Football Injury Index.
The rising cost of the injuries was based on the reported salaries of the players concerned. Last season alone, injuries cost clubs a combined €732 million in wages
The survey charts the upward trend in injuries with a combined 4,123 during the 2023-24 season – a 4% rise on 2022-23 and 37% more than in 2020-21.
Injuries in Europe’s top leagues occurred every 92 minutes in 2023/24, costing teams an average of €172,975 per match.
Significantly the number has risen 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 upwards trajectory.
“The squad depth of clubs will continue to be tested, particularly with the impending introduction of the new FIFA Men’s Club World Cup in 2025.”
Players in Germany’s Bundesliga are most likely to be injured amongst the top five domestic leagues but the Premier League bears the most injury-related costs – a combined €318 million last season. Champions Manchester City recorded 57 injuries at a total cost of €32.3 million but Manchester United topped the list with a total injury cost of €47.4m. Chelsea had the highest average cost per injury of €640,000.
Within the English top flight, a pattern has emerged showing big clubs consistently recording higher-than-average injury levels, whilst teams closer to the relegation zone stayed at the other end.
The stats show that Bundesliga’s Darmstadt had the worst luck with injuries – with one occurring every 33 minutes – while Ligue 1’s Toulouse reported the longest stretch between injuries on average, with one injury every 338 minutes.
The report further highlights rising concerns over the increased injury severity among under-21 players due to excessive playing time. In the 2023/24 EPL season, U21 players were sidelined for an average of 44 days per injury, a staggering 187% increase compared to the 2020/21 season. Italian and English U21s faced the most significant jumps in injury severity, with Serie A players under 21 averaging 35.16 days out per injury- a damning stat that underlines the growing physical toll on younger athletes in Europe’s top leagues.
“The view in the insurance industry has always been that the older the player, the more risky, the more challenging the exposure, because older players are generally out for longer, they don’t return necessarily for injuries that younger players do,” said James Burrows, Head of Sport at Howden. “A lot of what we see now seems to slightly turn that on its head.”
The index produced by the sports insurance firm came in the same week the players’ global union FIFpro and the European Leagues association jointly filed a landmark formal complaint to the European Union against FIFA over an increasingly congested schedule that will only increase with next summer’s expanded Club World Cup.
The findings could not be more timely, with elite footballers threatening to strike unless their workload is reduced.
“The 2023/24 Howden Men’s European Football Injury Index underscores the ever-increasing physical demands on players,” said Burrows. “As fixture congestion intensifies with expanded competitions domestically and internationally, we are seeing more players sidelined for longer periods, with a notable five per cent rise in injury costs this season alone.
“Our data captures the demands of modern football and we hope it serves as a valuable tool for players, clubs and governing bodies in their ongoing discussions.”
Luigi De Siervo, CEO of Italy’s Serie A, commented: “FIFA and UEFA, cycle after cycle, have increased constantly the size of their competitions for both clubs and national teams and we have now reached a saturation point in the calendar.”
“FIFA imposed their new format and competitions without any discussion, consultation and without accepting to have any form of relationship with the other competitions organisers.”
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