FIFA and World Well being Group launch international concussion consciousness marketing campaign

Consistent with the Strategic Targets for the World Recreation: 2023–2027 and following on from the announcement at the IFAB AGM in March 2024, FIFA is launching Suspect and Defend: No Match is Well worth the Threat, a concussion consciousness marketing campaign, in partnership with the World Well being Group (WHO).

The marketing campaign goals to boost consciousness of the truth that concussion is a traumatic mind damage and is a danger to each participant on the pitch. It has been endorsed by gamers, coaches and workforce medical doctors from around the globe.

Developed by intensive session with FIFA Medical and WHO mind well being specialists, the Suspect and Defend marketing campaign goals to extend signal and symptom recognition amongst gamers, coaches and medical workers, in addition to most of the people. The marketing campaign highlights that signs might take as much as 72 hours to look and gives steering on how you can return to play safely following a suspected or confirmed concussion. These tailor-made assets are designed to empower nationwide workforce stakeholders, skilled golf equipment and leagues and grassroots and novice communities.

Suspect and Defend will probably be delivered at a world stage throughout FIFA channels, whereas toolkits are being distributed to the 211 FIFA Member Associations for supply at a nationwide, regional and native stage.

“Concussion is a mind damage and will at all times be taken significantly. Taking part in soccer must be one thing loved safely, by everybody, all over the place,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated. “By realizing the indicators of concussion, by being conscious of the dangers, and by treating a concussion appropriately, you may assist to place participant security first.

“An enormous thanks to FIFA’s member associations for his or her efforts in launching with us and for following the recommendation offered by our colleagues on the World Well being Group.”

“Concussion is a public well being difficulty of concern in any respect ranges of soccer, and lots of different sports activities, requiring larger ranges of consciousness and motion,” stated Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-Common. “That’s the reason WHO is proud to workforce up with FIFA on the Suspect and Defend marketing campaign to advertise methods to guard the brains of footballers, younger and previous, around the globe from the dangers of concussion.”

The marketing campaign is constructed upon three most important motion factors for audiences inside nationwide groups, skilled golf equipment and leagues and novice and grassroots communities.

BE AWARE: Whether or not a participant, coach, workforce physician, guardian or carer, you will need to perceive that concussion is a traumatic mind damage and will at all times be taken significantly. Everybody ought to know the frequent indicators of concussion in addition to when to hunt pressing medical recommendation. 

SUSPECT: Anybody who sustains a direct or oblique impression to their head, face, neck or physique, must be assessed for concussion signs. Signs might take as much as 72 hours to current. They embody headache or ‘strain’ sensation, nausea or vomiting, issues with stability, dizziness or being unsteady on ft, distorted/blurry or double imaginative and prescient, sensitivity to mild and/or noise, reminiscence issues (issue recalling the traumatic occasion, and/or occasions earlier than or after), feeling drowsy, confused or unable to focus, sleep issues.

PROTECT: Anybody presenting with a number of concussion signs ought to depart the pitch instantly. A physician have to be seen as quickly as potential and inside 24 hours. The signs of a concussion can change or evolve throughout the minutes, hours, days and even weeks after the traumatic occasion. Some signs require pressing medical consideration. Gamers ought to observe medical steering on return to play. No match is well worth the danger.

Editor’s notes

Suspect and Defend will probably be obtainable by FIFA channels in Arabic, English, French, German, Portuguese (Brazilian) and Spanish and will probably be tailored by Member Associations in extra languages.

WHO’s work on mind well being: The WHO works with nations to advertise optimum mind improvement and performance, neurological well being, and well-being throughout the life course. Key actions embody strengthening insurance policies, service supply, well being data techniques, analysis and expertise, with a concentrate on low- and middle-income nations; offering technical help to develop built-in and person-centred approaches to mind well being that prioritize promotion, prevention, therapy, care, and rehabilitation; and selling elevated funding, inter-agency collaboration, and engagement throughout a spread of sectors globally.

More about WHO’s work on brain health