Greek Footballer Aged Just 21 Dies After Suffering a Cardiac Arrest on the Pitch at a Stadium Where There Was No Defibrillator and the Ambulance Took 20 Minutes To Arrive
By Charlie Walker
– Greek footballer collapsed five minutes into a third tier match on Wednesday
– The player could not be revived by club staff and there was no defibrillator
– Incident comes after a series of high-profile collapses among footballers
– Christian Eriksen collapsed from a sudden cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, but was saved with attention of doctors and is set to return to game with Brentford.
A Greek footballer has died after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch during a game where there was no defibrillator or ambulance at the stadium.
The player, aged 21, was playing for a Greek third tier team, Ilioupoli, when tragedy struck five minutes into the game.
Alexandros Lampis collapsed at the First Municipal Stadium during a match on Wednesday.
Alexandros Lampis tragically collapsed and died after suffering sudden cardiac arrest on pitch
The stadium is within a south-eastern suburb of the Greek capital Athens, but the ambulance did not arrive for 20 minutes, The Sun reports, and there was no way to resuscitate the stricken player at the ground.
The incident comes after the world watched in horror only eight months ago when Christian Eriksen collapsed suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest, while playing for Denmark at Euro 2020.
In that incident, Denmark’s team doctor, Morten Boesen, confirmed that the 29-year-old had gone into cardiac arrest on the pitch and was brought back through a combination of CPR and an electric shock from a defibrillator.
Eriksen’s life was saved and he is now set to make a remarkable return to top-flight football with Brentford.
The Danish midfielder has been allowed to return to professional football after a defibrillator was implanted into his body, which helps to regulate his heart rate.
Midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest at Euro 2020
The Danish player was quickly treated on the pitch and received a shock from a defibrillator
Since Eriksen’s collapse football has been rocked by a series of high-profile incidents among players.
Sergio Aguero was forced to retire after experiencing chest pains playing for Barcelona while there were also scares for Victor Lindelof and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
This season, Wigan striker Charlie Wyke, 28, collapsed in training, Sheffield United’s John Fleck, 30, collapsed on the pitch at Reading and Adama Traore, 25, went down clutching his chest while playing in the Champions League for Sheriff Tiraspol against Real Madrid.
Icelandic midfielder Emil Palsson, 28, also required resuscitation after a cardiac arrest in October.
Lampis’ club Ilioupoli FC posted a heartfelt tribute to the young player after the tragedy
In Athens, the match against Ermionida was abandoned following the traumatic incident.
Ilioupoli wrote on the club website: ‘Our Aleko, our friend, our brother, you left so unjustly.
‘The whole team, the whole city is mourning today.
‘The words do not come out… only an unbearable pain and a knot in the stomach. Have a good trip Alecara.’
Staff from both sides tried to revive Lampis, according to local reports.
