Academic and healthcare efforts from Cessation to complete resumption of professional football tournaments during COVID-19 pandemic: A narrative review.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus led to over 626 million infections and 6.5 million deaths worldwide and forced to cancel or postpone several sporting events. Effective control techniques are therefore urgently required to avoid COVID-19 spread at these local and global events.

Bio-secure bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic to host the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League: A retrospective observational study.

Background And Aims: To describe the COVID-19 positivity rate among football players, team staff, and local organizing committee members participated in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (West) tournament organized with the protocol in place.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried out to include a total of 2184 participants during the AFC-West tournament in Qatar, which was a 3-week event (September 14-October 3, 2020). This event was undertaken under the Bio-secure bubble protocol, which was developed and implemented for sports events in Qatar during the pandemic.

FIFA Arab Cup tournament with full capacity of spectators during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

Background: We sought to assess the risk of COVID-19 and seasonal flu including respiratory syncytial (RSV) and influenza viruses during the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 in Qatar with full capacity of spectators. We also, evaluated the post-event attitude toward resumption of mass football events.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which spectators (age ≥ 18 years) were invited for reverse-transcription PCR testing for COVID-19 and seasonal flu.

Recommencement of football competition with spectators during the active phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in a Middle Eastern country.

Background: With the global spread of COVID-19 infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 virus (SARS-CoV-2), all the national and international sports events were ceased early in 2020. The sport activities have been reinstated since then, albeit without spectators. However, several governments have established a variety of risk-mitigation measures to gradually reintroduce the spectators to stadiums.