UEFA and resuscitation body to train cardiac arrest treatment

UEFA HAS started a partnership with the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) to be better prepared for cardiac arrest incidents.

Europe’s governing football body made the announcement on the opening day of a medical symposium in Frankfurt on Tuesday.

UEFA and the ERC will train cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for teams at events such as the Nations League Finals and the women’s Finalissima, for all 55 UEFA member federations, and for staff and volunteers at the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.

In all, more than 12,000 people are be trained to save lives via CPR.

Denmark player Christian Eriksen suffered cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 game but quick medical assistance saved his life and he has been able to continue his career.

“Each of us can be a bystander to a sudden cardiac arrest, and when it happens, every second matters. We want to use football’s powerful voice to raise awareness of this problem and encourage people to educate themselves, step up, and save lives,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said.

It was also announced at the symposium that former Germany team doctor Tim Meyer, the medical commissioner of the German Football Federation (DFB), would be the Euro 2024 medical chief.

Three years ago Meyer was a leading figure in setting up a strict medical concept which allowed the Bundesliga to resume play after just two months during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Frankfurt symposium runs until Friday, bringing together 384 sports medicine specialists and including all national team doctors from UEFA members.

Infection management, a large number of cruciate knee ligament injuries, player protection in times of climate change and performance during the menstrual cycle are other topics at the three-day meeting.