Twenty-four national teams qualified for the final tournament in Germany. But from a physiotherapy and medical-preparation point of view, one team arrived with something extra: Slovakia.
Thanks to the professionalism of its physiotherapists and doctors, the Slovak national team understood the injury risks that can appear during a tournament — and also the advantages that ready-to-use protective masks can bring in critical moments.
Prepared before the first whistle
At the beginning of 2024, the Slovak Falcons added a new piece of equipment to their medical toolkit: carbon protective masks with special padding, prepared in five different sizes.
In a short tournament, every day matters. A facial injury can change the plans of a player, a medical team and an entire squad. That is why being prepared in advance can make a real difference.
The Mbappé example
Two years earlier, at the World Cup in Qatar, several players used protective masks during the tournament. At the European Championship, one of the most visible examples was Kylian Mbappé, who suffered a serious broken nose in France’s opening group-stage match against Austria.
Despite all the complications around masks — and despite changing several versions — Mbappé clearly showed one important thing: even with a complicated nasal fracture, training can be possible just a few days after the injury.
This is exactly why we provided the Slovak national team with a prepared set of five carbon masks, even for a tournament as short as the Euros.
What if it happened before England?
Fortunately, no Slovak player suffered this kind of injury during the tournament. But let us imagine a situation that could easily have happened.
A key Slovak player suffers a facial injury before the round-of-16 match against England. The medical team gives a clear verdict: with a mask, yes. Without a mask, no.
In that moment, preparation becomes priceless. It is better to be ready and do everything possible to help the team advance than to lose a player for knockout matches that may come only once in a generation.
"In football, you cannot predict every injury. But you can decide how prepared you want to be when it happens."
— COMPOACC
Trust from the Slovak national team
We would like to thank the physiotherapists and doctors of the Slovak national football team for the opportunity to present our product and for placing their trust in COMPOACC.
Our thanks also go to Monika Jurigová for helping resolve the administrative side of the process.
A small behind-the-scenes moment
One funny bonus from the presentation: while showing the product, we were quietly hoping that Francesco Calzona would not walk into the room.
As a true Italian, he might have understood a prepared set of injury masks in a very different — and very superstitious — way.
Luckily, everything went exactly as it should. The masks were prepared, the medical team understood their value, and Slovakia entered the tournament ready for situations nobody wants, but every professional team should be prepared for.
