Covid-19: risk of transmission while playing football "very low" (DFB study)

"On-field transmission risk of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that caused the Covid-19 pandemic) in football is very low. Sources of infections in football players are most likely not related to activities on the pitch," according to a study published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine and cited by the German Football Association (DFB) on 03/11/2021 (document available to download).

"This is the result of an extensive study conducted (between August 2020 and March 2021) by a group of researchers led by Dr. Florian Egger and Prof. Dr. Tim Meyer from the Institute for Sports and Preventive Medicine at Saarland University (GER) and with the assistance of Dr. Oliver Faude from the Department of Sport, Exercise and Health at Basel University (SUI) on behalf of the German Football Association," explained the DFB.

"Outdoor sports activities, even if they involve contact, carry a very low risk of infection and are therefore a very safe option for practicing sport and exercise during the pandemic. To preserve training and match operations in football, hygiene measures can thus be limited to…