A study issued by the “International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro),” published on Thursday, revealed that professional “football” players who have suffered three or more concussions may experience a decline in the ability to concentrate.
The research, which is part of the Drake Football Study ongoing for 10 years, was based on an assessment of the neurocognitive abilities of 68 players.
Low performance:
The researchers indicated that the performance of players who reported suffering a concussion at least 3 times was “significantly worse” in tasks that require high concentration, compared to their colleagues who suffered fewer of these injuries or did not suffer them at all.
In “football,” these skills are related to tracking the movement of the ball and competitors, maintaining awareness of positioning, and responding quickly during the match.
43% of the players participating in the survey reported that they had suffered at least one concussion, and defenders were the most vulnerable to injury, as 50% of them suffered one or more concussions.
Vincent Gouttebarge, the union’s medical director, stated: “Overall, the study indicates that female football players do not show widespread cognitive problems during their professional careers, but repeated concussions may have a significant impact on attention.”
More research is needed:
Gouttebarge added that more research is needed to determine whether new health recommendations are needed.
The players performed within the normal range for the general population in 11 out of 12 cognitive domains, and performed above average in neuro-motor response speed, that is, how quickly the brain sends signals to the body, which researchers attribute to the neuro-muscular requirements of professional “football.”
No widespread cognitive impairment was detected during the players’ careers in the game.
Gouttebarge pointed out that the results are similar to those reached by a similar analysis conducted on professional players and published in 2024, which revealed that repeated concussions are associated with a decrease in simple and complex attention, but not in other areas of cognitive functions.
The Drake Football Study was launched in 2019 in coordination with the union, with the aim of monitoring the physical and mental health of 170 male and female “football” players from all over the world during and after their professional careers.
