sport news Naivety over cardiac arrest means footballers will die as top clubs don't ...

sport news Naivety over cardiac arrest means footballers will die as top clubs don't ...
sport news Naivety over cardiac arrest means footballers will die as top clubs don't ...

Sergio Aguero had been waiting since he was 14. ‘One day Barcelona will surely notice me,’ he would say. Almost two decades on the call came and last month Aguero opened his Barca account in El Clasico against Real Madrid.

It wasn’t supposed to be his final bow. Six days later, however, the striker suffered chest pains against Alaves. Now, after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, Aguero’s career looks to be over at the age of 33.

It comes five months after the harrowing collapse of Christian Eriksen and only three weeks since Icelandic midfielder Emil Palsson required resuscitation. Both suffered cardiac arrests on the pitch.

Sergio Aguero had to be substituted last month after suffering breathing problems

Sergio Aguero had to be substituted last month after suffering breathing problems

Over here, Shrewsbury striker Ryan Bowman is back in the goals after palpitations against Ipswich last month. 

His heart was racing at 250 beats a minute and doctors had to shock his cardiac system back to normal.

Others never get that second chance. In September, 17-year-old Dylan Rich died after a suspected cardiac arrest during an FA Youth Cup game in Nottinghamshire.

The Barcelona striker was treated by medical staff but managed to leave the pitch unaided

The Barcelona striker was treated by medical staff but managed to leave the pitch unaided 

The former Manchester City star, however, faces the prospect of retiring due to health issues

The former Manchester City star, however, faces the prospect of retiring due to health issues

So is enough being done to prevent tragedy from striking again on a pitch? Sportsmail has spoken to a number of relatives, experts and campaigners. Today, they warn:

More lives will be lost unnecessarily because of football’s naivety around cardiac arrest. Friction exists between clubs and doctors over whether players with potentially fatal conditions should retire, with medical advice often ignored. Top teams do not perform every test available, even though elite athletes’ hearts are at an increased risk.

Research published in 2018 found the risk of elite footballers suffering sudden cardiac death was ‘much higher than believed’. Around one in 260 harboured a life-threatening cardiac condition.

Manchester City midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe died while playing for Cameroon in 2003

Manchester City midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe died while playing for Cameroon in 2003

German newspaper Berliner Zeitung claimed recently that 24 footballers, coaches or officials collapsed with suspected heart issues between July 11 and October 15 — one every four days. 

Nothing kills athletes under 30 in the UK more regularly than sudden cardiac arrest. Every year, 600 die before reaching 35 from undiagnosed heart conditions.

‘If you’ve got a car with something not quite right with the engine, and you decide to drive it across the desert, you’re putting it in the worst-case scenario,’ says Dr Steven Cox of Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY). ‘This is the key. It’s not normal what athletes do.’

Charlie Edinburgh was in his kitchen when Eriksen slumped to the turf in Copenhagen in June. The 28-year-old watched alongside his mother Kerri as life left the midfielder’s body. 

Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest against Finland at Euro 2020

Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest against Finland at Euro 2020

‘All that came to my head was memories of dad,’ Edinburgh says. 

‘All of the pain and suffering we’ve endured.’ In 2019, former Tottenham defender and Leyton Orient manager Justin Edinburgh died aged 49 following a cardiac arrest at a gym. ‘It just brought back horrific memories,’ Charlie adds. ‘There are no words that can explain the shock. It’s like a light switch. One minute they’re here, the next they’re gone.’

Eriksen’s heart was flicked back on during 13 minutes of emergency treatment. Now the Denmark midfielder, fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), hopes to play again.

Through the JE3 Foundation, Edinburgh fights to ensure his family — rather than Eriksen’s — is the exception. ‘Cardiac arrests are not going away — that’s the scary thing,’ he says. ‘This is happening on a regular basis. There is so much more that can be done by the wider footballing community.’

Eriksen's teammates formed a human shield around him as he was being treated on the pitch

Eriksen's teammates formed a human shield around him as he was being treated on the pitch

The Denmark midfielder's heart was flicked back on after 13 minutes of treatment

The Denmark midfielder's heart was flicked back on after 13 minutes of treatment 

The foundation has been ‘inundated’ by clubs and individuals within sport keen for education and training.

Tottenham defender Japhet Tanganga attended one of their CPR workshops; Wolves players asked for a basic life support session following the collapse of a Newcastle fan.

Across football, however, Edinburgh rues an opportunity missed. ‘How many more instances are going to need to occur?’ he asks. ‘There has to be something done as more lives are going to be lost unnecessarily.’

This isn’t a new problem, after all. Marc-Vivien Foe and Cheick Tiote collapsed and died while playing. 

Fabrice Muamba collapsed during Bolton's game against Spurs at White Hart Lane in 2012

Fabrice Muamba collapsed during Bolton's game against Spurs at White Hart Lane in 2012

Fabrice Muamba and Iker Casillas are among those to have had lucky escapes. Crystal Palace midfielder Conor Gallagher required heart surgery in 2018 after feeling his heart beating worryingly fast and falling ill.

Ajax defender Daley Blind was fitted with an ICD for ‘heart muscle inflammation’ in 2019. The device went off last year when

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