Denmark star Eriksen in hospital after Euro 2020 collapse
‘You are thinking about his family and the rest of the players. I just picked up the phone and texted my mother to say I love her’
DENMARK footballer Christian Eriksen was last night in hospital after collapsing on the pitch during his country’s Euro 2020 game against Finland.
Eriksen, the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, went down minutes before the end of the first half at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.
Medics performed CPR on the 29-yearold, after English referee Anthony Taylor stopped the game, as Denmark’s visibly distressed players shielded their teammate from cameras.
The BBC last night apologised after failing to cut away from the live feed, as medics fought to save Eriksen’s life.
The match was later restarted after a request from both teams. The final score was 1-0 to Finland after Denmark missed their chance to equalise with a penalty in the 72nd minute.
It was unclear last night what caused the Dane to collapse, but Uefa confirmed he was in a stable condition.
The Danish Football Union (DBU) said the player was “awake and undergoing further tests” in hospital, while his agent, Martin Schoots told NPO Radio1: “Christian Eriksen breathes and can speak – he’s awake.”
The Duke of Cambridge, who is president of the FA, last night welcomed the “encouraging news” about the midfielder’s condition, adding “we are all thinking about him and his family”. He also praised the medical team and Mr Taylor for their “calm and swift action”.
The stadium was in stunned silence as fans watched the Dane, who now plays for Inter Milan, lying on the pitch, apparently unresponsive. His partner, Sabrina Kvist Jensen – with whom he has two children – was pitchside being consoled by Denmark’s captain, Simon Kjær, and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Eriksen’s teammates, some in tears, formed a wall around the midfielder as medics worked for around half an hour. Eventually sheets were held up to provide more privacy.
The BBC had been showing the match live on BBC One and continued to show images of the drama. Eventually the broadcaster cut away to the studio.
“I can’t believe what we are witnessing,” presenter Alex Scott, former England and Arsenal women’s player, said. “Football goes out of the window. You are thinking about his family and the rest of the players. I just picked up the phone and texted my mother to say I love her.”
The BBC later issued a statement saying: “Everyone at the BBC is hoping Christian Eriksen makes a full recovery. We apologise to anyone who was upset by the images broadcast.”
Host Gary Lineker added: “Understand some of you would have been upset with some of the images shown (we were too). Obviously these were the host pictures and out of our control. They should have stayed on a wide of the stadium. Apologies.”
It was at least 30 minutes before pictures surfaced of Eriksen on a stretcher, with his eyes open.
The incident was reminiscent of when Fabrice Muamba, the former Bolton midfielder, suffered a cardiac arrest in an FA Cup tie against Tottenham in 2012.
“Please, God,” Muamba tweeted before news of Eriksen’s condition was reported.
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