Egypt FA makes emergency medical course compulsory for all club staff

The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has made a specialist emergency medical course mandatory for all club medical staff, in what officials describe as the first phase of a three-year overhaul of football’s medical system in the country.

The Sports ER course – focused on managing on-field medical emergencies and sports injuries – will be a prerequisite for anyone seeking accreditation to work within club medical departments, the EFA confirmed.

The programme, which runs from 6 to 16 August 2026 at the EFA headquarters in Cairo, is designed to standardise how medical crises are handled during matches and training sessions, using the latest international protocols and practices.

Mandatory training for accreditation

In its announcement, the EFA said the Sports ER course would be a compulsory requirement for obtaining approval to work as part of the medical teams across Egyptian clubs.

The decision forms part of a new nationwide framework for the qualification and accreditation of doctors and physiotherapists operating in football.

The EFA says the move aims to raise the overall standard of medical care on and around the pitch, ensuring that medical staff respond to serious injuries and emergencies in a unified and up-to-date manner.

The course, according to the federation, will blend theoretical teaching with hands-on practical training, mirroring the approach used in major European leagues.

Partnership with English specialists

The course will be delivered in cooperation with Sports ER, a UK-based institution specialising in training for sports emergencies and stadium-side injuries.

Sports ER is accredited in the field and provides similar training and certification programmes to clubs in the English Premier League and several other leagues worldwide.

Mohamed Abou El Ela, head of the Egyptian national team’s medical department, said: “لدينا خبراء من انجلترا يقدمون هذه الدورات والاعتمادات للاندية في الدوري الانجليزي، وكذلك في العديد من دول العالم، وسيتولون تنفيذ البرنامج”.

He added: “هذه اولى الدورات ضمن مشروع يمتد لثلاث سنوات، ويستهدف تطوير المنظومة الطبية في كرة القدم”.

Three-year project to cover all age groups

Abou El Ela stressed that the initiative is not limited to top-flight football, but is intended to extend across the entire game in Egypt.

He said: “سنغطي جميع العاملين في كرة القدم بمختلف الفيات العمرية، ولن يقتصر الامر على فية بعينها”.

The EFA plans to phase the training over an 11-day period in August, allowing different categories of staff to attend in stages so that “all target groups” can be accommodated within the new accreditation system.

Abou El Ela explained that the first edition of the course will start at the foundational level.

“سنبدا بالمستوى الاول، لانه يمثل المرحلة الاساسية التي يجب ان يجتازها الجميع”، he said.

He also confirmed the initial dates: “من المقرر ان تنطلق الدورة الاولى يومي 6 او 8 اغسطس”.

Standardising pitch-side emergency response

The EFA says the overarching goal is to unify how medical teams respond when players suffer sudden collapses, head injuries, cardiac events or severe trauma on the field of play.

By aligning with “the latest international protocols and practices”, the federation hopes to improve survival and recovery outcomes, reduce long-term complications from serious injuries and reinforce confidence in medical procedures across Egyptian football.

With mandatory accreditation now tied to completion of the Sports ER course, the EFA is signalling that untrained or non-certified staff will no longer be permitted to operate pitch-side once the new system is fully in place.

Officials view this as the cornerstone of a wider effort, running until at least 2029, to modernise the football medical infrastructure and bring it closer in line with leading European standards.