The Portuguese Football Federation and the Portuguese Red Cross have established an agreement that allows clubs to carry out rapid tests for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigens.

The agreement enables the process of training doctors and nurses in all clubs of the Portuguese Championship, Liga BPI, Liga Placard and the National Women's Futsal Championship, in the application of testing techniques through the identification of antigens - recently approved for the response to COVID-19.

The training actions developed by the Portuguese Red Cross, in collaboration with the Portugal Football School, will take place with an initial distance learning module and, later, with on-site training carried out by specialist nurses from the Portuguese Red Cross.

Clubs may have access to a platform provided by the Portuguese Red Cross, in order to articulate the testing process and control with health authorities.
Fernando Gomes, President of the FPF, praises the importance of this agreement: “Within the scope of its responsibility as the organizer of football competitions and taking into account the current situation of the evolution of the pandemic in Portugal, the FPF has tried by all means to create conditions for stricter control of the pandemic. Based on DGS Guideline 36, which allowed reactivating senior non-professional competitions, with the help of partners, we have created the conditions for more extensive testing in order to prevent the spread of the virus as much as possible and keep the competitive practice safe. Thus, it is with immense pleasure that we announce the partnership that we have celebrated with the Red Cross and I thank you, in the person of its president prof. Francisco George, the possibility that will lead to the training of all clubs for a more comprehensive testing of players, coaches and other staff. Through this protocol, the clubs will be able to do the testing themselves through the antigen tests that will be available from the 9th. I reinforce my thanks to the Red Cross, which in this way helps the FPF to fulfill one of its missions, which is the promotion of sports practice in conditions of safety and safeguarding public health.”
Francisco George, National President of the Red Cross, highlights the cooperation between the entities: “The time we are living now caused by the pandemic and with many uncertainties about what will happen in the coming months, especially the uncertainty of preparing an effective vaccine, requires high cooperation among all institutions. All Portuguese should be together in order to contribute to the prevention and control of coronavirus viral activity. It is in this context that the Portuguese Football Federation and the Portuguese Red Cross are united in an agreement signed that aims to ensure, through training, greater security with regard to the activity of players and teams participating in federation events. It is in this context that the Red Cross ensures monitoring and training aimed at the early diagnosis of players, employees and staff in general to detect infections and prevent the spread and transmission of the virus.”

José Couceiro, vice president of FPF and National Technical Director, underlines the importance of antigen testing for clubs: “This is an important agreement to create conditions of greater security for almost 150 teams. It is a decisive step, I would say, for the modalities and to develop the activity of football and futsal. The understanding with the Portuguese Red Cross has this security and reflects what should be our concern and priority. That is, we have to look out for each other to play safely. In this sense, rapid tests, with a very short waiting time for results, are essential for us to continue our activity”.