third league
Cardiac arrest: Greek footballer dies on the pitch
Despite the use of a defibrillator (symbolic image), a 21-year-old footballer in Greece collapsed and died on the field after suffering a cardiac arrest
© Peter Kneffel / DPA
A 21-year-old footballer from Greece died suddenly during a game. Alexandros Lampi collapsed shortly after the start of the game from cardiac arrest. The case is reminiscent of the Danish international Christian Eriksen.
A 21-year-old Greek footballer apparently died of cardiac arrest on the field last Wednesday. Alexandros Lampi collapsed in the fifth minute of Ilioupolis’ third-tier game against Ermioni, eyewitnesses told state-run sports broadcaster ERA-Sport on Friday.
In the small arena of Ilioupolis there was a defibrillator that was used, but could no longer do anything. The footballer’s father told Greek broadcaster Mega that an ambulance only arrived after 20 minutes. Despite the efforts of the doctors, the player could not be saved, it was said.
Similar case at the EM 2021
The case is reminiscent of the Danish international Christian Eriksen. He suddenly collapsed on June 12, 2021 during the European Championship game against Finland in front of his home crowd in Copenhagen – his heart stopped without warning. Dramatic minutes followed, which were extremely tiring for millions of football fans, in which rescue workers managed to revive Eriksen.
He was later fitted with a defibrillator that can send shocks in an emergency. The problem: In the Italian Serie A you can’t play with such a device. Eriksen’s contract with champions Inter Milan was therefore terminated. Most recently, he had prepared for his return to professional football in his native Denmark and with the reserves of his former club Ajax Amsterdam.
Eriksen is now celebrating his comeback in a league in which he had played for years before moving to Inter: he played more than 300 games for Tottenham Hotspur from 2013 to 2020.