Risk of sudden death ‘not ruled out’ for footballers

Mandatory pre-season medical screening for footballers cannot completely rule out the risk of sudden death, researchers have warned.

Health checks still do not always detect potentially critical problems, findings from a team of scientists in Norway suggested. The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, tracked 595 professional footballers over an eight-year period.

The players, all male, had an average age of 25 and came from 28 of the country’s 30 elite and first division teams.

Of the 32 who tested positive for health problems, two were treated and cleared to play while the rest were cleared, but advised to have further tests.