Risk assessment had been conducted to reduce the pronation of accidents and ill health in which case, provide

mutual benefit for both the individual players (prolonging their careers), and the football clubs (maximising their investments). In risk assessment, the emphasis is on preventing accidents by determining; (a) the cause, (b) the frequency, and (c) the extent of the injuries as well as identifying additional control measures needed to be implemented so as to reduce these factors. Since the outcome of an incident cannot be accurately predicted, one important principle of successful health and safety management is loss control which identify and eliminate all incidents that may or may not cause injuries. In football, loss control can be maximised by gaining closer insight into types, causes, and frequencies of injuries during competitive games. In the experiment set during the 1994 World Cup, 44 televised matches were studied over a total of 52 matches. The study observed situations in which a free kick occurred, as well as situations in which a player received treatments. Each free kick is associated with the playing time when the kick happened; if foul is called, and if there is a foul, to which team the free kick is awarded by the referee. For each treatment, the following parameters are also identified; the identity and position of the player, the injury mechanism, and future involvement in the Cup. Apart from video recording, coverage by the media were also referred for a more extensive information pool and the result is assessed statistically using the significance test with significance accepted at P < 0.05 level, and the assumption that the incidents followed a Poissons distribution. Moreover, the frequency of accident rates (AFR) are also determined per 100,000 working hours, usually incorporated in standardised analysis and compared to statistics published externally. During the 44 World Cup games analysed, 1272 fouls were committed in the referees judgment (average of 28.9 free kicks per game) and 94 treatments (35% foul, 65% no foul). The greatest number of free kicks occurred in the first 25 minutes and the greatest number of treatment occurred in the first 25 minutes after half time. The kick off times for matches produce no vital influence to the incidence of injuries. There is a statistically significant difference between the incidence of injury and number of defenders and midfielders, but there is no significant differences to the ratio of injuries from foul due to playing position compared to other causes. The overall injury frequency rate was 6880 injuries per 100 000 hours played. It has been found that the treatments received on the pitch due to foul is slightly higher than obtained by other investigators. No correlation however was made between free kicks and injuries, but moderate injuries were found to occur five times more frequently without a foul being involved than to be the result of a foul. Since the law of the game allows for free kicks to be awarded to 95% of the injured players, there exist a deterrent that prevents great number of injuries, although not all, from occuring in the field. There is a predicament whether minor changes to the law may act to reduce the figure. The result also shows that position in the game plays an intrinsic factor in risk assessment. In football, defenders sustain the greatest risk of injury as shown in this study. The amount of non contact injuries are higher in the first five minutes

after half time, explainable due to heat stress resulting in a general failure to maintain muscle flexibility during extended mid game breaks. The average injury incidence for moderate injuries is determined to be lower per 1000 game hours and the total injury incidence per player was found to be similar to previous reports. (a summary of Risk assessment in professional football: an examination of accidents and incidents in the 1994 World Cup finals by Richard D Hawkins and Colin W Fuller in BrJ Sports Med 1996;30:165-170)