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Foul! Swiss football results in 45,000 injuries a year

Two players compete for the ball
The most serious injuries resulted from collisions between players competing for the ball, SUVA said. (SUVA)

Dirty tackles and other collisions during amateur Swiss football matches cause 45,000 injuries every year, according to a Swiss accident insurer.

The Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund (SUVA) said that the economic impact was the equivalent of 2,000 full-time posts.

On average an injured player is absent from work for two weeks, SUVA said in a statementExternal link on Tuesday.

The insurer said most football accidents (64%) were among players aged below 30; 93% were men.

The most serious injuries resulted from collisions between players competing for the ball. Tackles were the main cause, with injuries including damaged muscles, tendons or broken bones.

SUVA said head injuries were also a risk: it reported 450 cases of concussion each year. This can lead to several weeks’ absence from work, it added.

Every year 34 players end up disabled following a serious footballing injury.

The accident insurer has launched an online quiz to raise awareness about football-related accidents and to help players evaluate their ability and fitness level.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR