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Prospectively collected injury surveillance data are essential for designing and implementing injury prevention programmes. We investigated the incidence, characteristics and patterns of professional football injuries in Qatar, providing details on the most observed injuries' burden. We prospectively recorded individual time-loss injuries and training/match exposure from 17 professional football teams in Qatar during 8 seasons (2014/15 to 2021/22). Injury definitions and data collection procedures followed the 2006 consensus statement and results reported according to the 2020 IOC consensus statement on football injuries and methodology of epidemiological studies on injuries, respectively. In total, 1466 players with 4789 registered injuries were followed. The overall injury burden was 129 [95% CI: 128-130] days/1000 h. Over the 8 seasons there was a significant decreasing trend in the incidence of gradual onset injuries (p = 0.0012) and a non-significant decreasing trend for suddenonset match injuries (p = 0.063). The injury burden for match injuries was greater than the burden resulting from training injuries (460 [95% CI: 460-460] vs 56 [95% CI: 55-57] days/1000 h, p < 0.0001). There was no difference in time loss between index and recurrent injuries. Hamstring muscle strain represented the most frequent injury with a median of 11 (inter-quartile 5-20) days to return to play (RTP). ACL complete tear was the most impactful injury, in term of return to play, with a median of 200 (116-253) days to RTP. Re-injuries constituted 10.8% (4.7% of exacerbations). Mean illness incidence was 1.1 (SD = 0.4) illness/1000 hours, representing 5 illnesses per squad per season, with no variation over time. Qatari professional football is characterized by an overall injury pattern and risk similar to Asian and European norms. There was a significant decreasing trend in the incidence of gradual onset injuries and a non-significant decreasing trend for sudden-onset match injuries., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © Institute of Sport – National Research Instutite.)

To assess the mechanisms of ACL injury in male professional football players in Qatar across multiple seasons using systematic video analysis. 15 ACL injuries occurred in competition among the professional football teams that participated in an injury Surveillance Programme during 6 seasons (2013/2014 to 2018/2019). High-definition broadcast videos of these injuries were analyzed (49 views; 34 slow motion) by five analysts who independently described the injury mechanisms (situation, behavior, biomechanical characteristics) using validated observational tools. A knee valgus mechanism was observed in two-thirds of the cases (1 with direct contact to the knee, 3 with indirect contact (other body parts) and 6 with no contact). No visible valgus was reported in 2 of the direct knee contact injuries, while 3 cases of non-contact and indirect contact injuries were unclear. We observed 4 main categories of injury situation among those (n = 12) classified as non-contact/ indirect contact (multiple combinations were possible): pressing (n = 6), tackling or being tackled (n = 4), blocking (n = 3) and screening (n = 2). Direct contact injuries (n = 3) were suffered by 2 players during tackling and 1 whilst being tackled. Contact injuries represented only 20% of ACL injuries occurring during competition in Qatari professional soccer players. Independent of the playing situation, knee valgus was frequently observed (10/15 cases). Pressing was the most common situation (6/15 cases) leading to injury. Landing after heading was not reported in any of these ACL injuries., Competing Interests: The authors declare having NO conflict of interest., (Copyright © Biology of Sport 2023.)