Why players fail medicals and what clubs check | OneFootball

Medical checks are usually a formality, yet some transfers collapse when players do not pass, as with Ibrahima Ba’s proposed move to Strasbourg, which fell through for medical reasons last week. The club gave no official reason, though the 21-year-old’s late-season injury that cost three matches may explain it. According to L'Équipe, medicals gauge true readiness to compete.

In France a league-wide baseline set by the LFP has been mandatory since 1999 to certify aptitude and spot anomalies. Screening starts with blood tests to assess hormones and the blood panel, then urine analyses to cross-check, together aimed at detecting possible pathologies, including kidney issues.

Cardiological checks include a resting electrocardiogram, an echocardiogram and, if required, a stress test that also assesses lung function. Players must produce satisfactory responses to pass.

If a club doctor has reservations, an independent opinion can be sought, and the FFF can convene specialist panels to advise. Club medics often add imaging such as MRIs based on a player’s history, with Brest doctor Michel Kergastel particularly attentive to hips, knees and ankles.

The depth of testing reflects the deal. A short six-month loan is likely to be lighter than a €10m, five-year signing, and clubs cover all costs because these are preventive rather than reimbursed procedures.

Protocols usually span days, but time pressure can compress them into hours. Former Nantes doctor Fabrice Bryand says latent conditions sometimes only emerge at a medical. In 2008, Lilian Thuram’s PSG screening found a hereditary heart issue. In women’s football, ligament risk and muscle imbalances receive extra focus.

Source: L'Équipe