Football injuries and COVID-19 – how much are they costing clubs?

Howden has published the inaugural edition of its “Men’s European Football Injury Index,” which reveals how much the COVID-19 pandemic has cost football clubs.

According to the report, there were 494 COVID-19 cases reported across Europe’s top five leagues last season. These cases resulted in players being forced to spend time off the pitch and missing a total of 7,068 days. In turn, these missed games cost football clubs €48.2 million.

“This report has quantified for the first time the significant monetary impact that COVID-19 had on the major football clubs in Europe last season,” said Howden divisional director of sport & entertainment James Burrows. “The pandemic has not only contributed to a 14% rise in injuries across the five major European leagues costing clubs a total of $473.6 million, but it has resulted in injury numbers peaking earlier in the season.”

Howden also said that across all leagues, players missed an average of 14.44 days every time they tested positive for the coronavirus. Among them, Italy’s top division witnessed the highest incidence of cases. As one of the hardest-hit countries in Europe, 37% of Italian players in Serie A tested positive for COVID-19 during the 2020/2021 season, costing Serie A clubs €19.6 million in pandemic-related absences alone.

Other key findings of the report include:

• Injuries across Europe’s big five leagues were up 13.8% in the 2020/2021 season to 3,988 (3,504 in 2019/2020);
• Total injury cost to clubs in the top five leagues totalled €472.6 million, with the average cost of injuries per league at €94.5 million
• The English Premier League experienced the most injuries at 938 in 2021/21and the highest injury cost at €155.9 million, ahead of second placed La Liga on €84.5 million
• Player position influences injury type and frequency, with defenders totalling the highest number, suffering 1,422 in all, with midfielders recording the highest injury costs at €165.6 million
• The clubs with the highest injury costs in Europe were: Paris Saint Germain (€34.2 million); Real Madrid (€28 million) and Liverpool (€17.9 million)
• Players in the 26-30 age bracket recorded the most injuries at 1,551 and also the highest injury costs totalling €205.7 million in salary costs

Howden also noted that injuries peaked earlier during the 2020/2021 season in October and November - typically, injuries peak during December and January. The broker has attributed this to a short pre-season and late start to the 2020/2021 season, with the exception of Ligue 1.

The report additionally tackles the attempted “Super League” breakaway earlier this year, suggesting that the increasing cost of player absence faced by wealthier clubs was a “possible contributory factor.” Howden pointed out that, based on statistics, clubs involved in the proposed league split suffered disproportionately poorly compared to the others in terms of the cost of player absence. The broker also suggests that this is not just because of higher salaries but also because of higher injury numbers.