Injuries during company football are not considered workplace accidents.

An employee injured her knee during a company football tournament. However, the Hanover Social Court did not consider it a workplace accident.

This article is part of the special feature on workplace accidents and their consequences.

An employee who injured her knee during her employer's football tournament and claimed it was a workplace accident was unsuccessful before the Hanover Social Court. The court ruled that the tournament was not covered by statutory accident insurance because it was not a company-sponsored event.

The case

An employee participated in her employer's football tournament. After nine regional preliminary rounds held nationwide, a total of 21 teams, each with up to 15 players, took part on the final day. The woman suffered a torn cruciate ligament in the final. She later demanded that the statutory accident insurance cover the damages, arguing that it was a workplace accident.

The accident insurance company refused to pay out, arguing that the football tournament was not a company event . The dispute went to court.

The judgment

The Social Court (SG) of Hanover ruled that the incident did not constitute a workplace accident . The court reasoned that playing football was not directly related to the plaintiff's insured employment . While company-sponsored social events can generally be covered by insurance, the court stated that this is contingent upon the event being in the employer's interest, supported by management, and aimed at fostering a sense of community among employees.

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Tournament not for the entire staff

The court emphasized that such an event must be objectively designed to allow the participation of the vast majority of employees. This was not the case here. While the company did organize the tournament, it was not open to the entire workforce of approximately 3.900 employees in the required manner. Due to the regional preliminary tournaments, only a portion of the employees were able to actively participate.

Furthermore, the judges were convinced that the event was purely sporting and primarily aimed at football players. Passive or non-sports-interested employees were not included. Even with a generous calculation, a maximum of 1.500 people out of approximately 3.900 employees could have participated. The court held that neither the presence of staff spectators nor a closing celebration altered this conclusion. The court deemed the casual social interaction on the sidelines of the tournament insufficient to classify it as a genuine company-sponsored social event.

Therefore, the injury was not a work accident.

Social Court of Hanover, Judgment of April 16, 2026, Case No. S 22 U 120/25

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