TY - JOUR T1 - Portuguese Football Federation consensus statement 2020: nutrition and performance in football JF - BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine JO - BMJ OPEN SP EX MED DO - 10.1136/bmjsem-2021-001082 VL - 7 IS - 3 SP - e001082 AU - Rodrigo Abreu AU - Pedro Figueiredo AU - Paulo Beckert AU - José P Marques AU - Samuel Amorim AU - Carlos Caetano AU - Pedro Carvalho AU - Carla Sá AU - Ricardo Cotovio AU - Joana Cruz AU - Tiago Dias AU - Gonçalo Fernandes AU - Elton Gonçalves AU - César Leão AU - Alexandre Leitão AU - João Lopes AU - Eduardo Machado AU - Mónica Neves AU - André Oliveira AU - Ana I Pereira AU - Bruno Pereira AU - Fernando Ribeiro AU - Luis M Silva AU - Filipe Sousa AU - Tânia Tinoco AU - Vitor H Teixeira AU - Monica Sousa AU - João Brito Y1 - 2021/08/01 UR - http://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/7/3/e001082.abstract N2 - Nutrition is an undeniable part of promoting health and performance among football (soccer) players. Nevertheless, nutritional strategies adopted in elite football can vary significantly depending on culture, habit and practical constraints and might not always be supported by scientific evidence. Therefore, a group of 28 Portuguese experts on sports nutrition, sports science and sports medicine sought to discuss current practices in the elite football landscape and review the existing evidence on nutritional strategies to be applied when supporting football players. Starting from understanding football’s physical and physiological demands, five different moments were identified: preparing to play, match-day, recovery after matches, between matches and during injury or rehabilitation periods. When applicable, specificities of nutritional support to young athletes and female players were also addressed. The result is a set of practical recommendations that gathered consensus among involved experts, highlighting carbohydrates periodisation, hydration and conscious use of dietary supplements.Data sharing not applicable as no data sets generated and/or analysed for this study. No data are available. Not applicable. ER -