It has been another sad week for professional football as two more high profile cases of players suffered cardiac problems during matches.
On Tuesday, Sheffield United were playing Reading in the Championship when their Scottish midfielder John Fleck collapsed on the pitch in the second half, with nobody near him at the time.
Medical assistance was immediately summoned. Fleck received 10 minutes of urgent treatment on the pitch before being transported to a local Reading hospital. He was released on Wednesday morning and headed back to Yorkshire, where he will be closely monitored by the club and undergo more tests.
Just 24 hours later, Adama Traore, a winger with Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol, went down clutching his chest during their Champions’ League tie with Real Madrid.
Just after being involved in a challenge with Real’s Nacho Fernandez, Traore became distressed, clutched his chest and slumped to the turf.
Smelling salts were used to try and revive him, but to little effect. Eventually he was coaxed into a sitting position, and then helped to his feet. He then left the field. His club are yet to provide more details, but it is feared that he suffered some form of arrhythmia issues similar to those which affected Sergio Agüero recently.
The Argentine striker has been ruled out of action for three months with his new club Barcelona, with even suggestions that he might be forced to retire from the game.
Just six months after Christian Eriksen suffered a near-fatal heart attack while playing for Denmark in the Euros, it emphasises yet again the importance of cardiac health and the need for teams to perform regular checks on their players.
There have been deaths in amateur and youth football this year, but fortunately none so far in professional football. However, it has happened in the past – Marc Vivien Foe, Miklos Feher, Cristiano Junior, and Phil O’Donnell are just some of the names of players who died on the pitch – so there is certainly precedence for it.
While medical knowledge is more advanced than before, and the use of defibrillators more widely available, it seems a matter of when, and not if, a tragedy will occur in a top match.