Victorian local footballer hospitalised from suffering cardiac arrest after falling to the ground 50m off the ball

Two female trainers have been praised after performing CPR on a player who went into cardiac arrest on the ground.

Keysborough player Jojo Ofosu-Amaah was hospitalised after going into cardiac arrest. Picture: Andy Bekierz

A young footballer is lucky to be alive after going into cardiac arrest in a Victorian suburban match on Saturday.

Keysborough player Jojo Ofosu-Amaah, 26, fell to the ground about 50m off the ball just before three-quarter time in the Southern Football Netball League Division 2 game against Skye at Carrum Downs Recreational Reserve.

A teammate removed his mouth guard and trainers began CPR on him after his heart stopped.

A defibrillator taken from the bar area and rushed on the ground by a volunteer was defective.

A second defibrillator kept in the trainers’ rooms was working and used on Ofosu-Amaah.

A spectator at the match who contacted the Herald Sun said the trainers worked on Ofosu-Amaah for 10 minutes until paramedics arrived.

An ambulance was already on its way to the recreation reserve after another Keysborough player dislocated his ankle in the second quarter.

However the ambulance could not drive on the oval – no key could be found to open the gate.

The fire brigade was called to help but a player used an angle grinder to cut the lock.

Ofosu-Amaah gave a thumbs-up to his teammate as he was taken to Frankston Hospital.

It’s believed he suffered broken ribs from the CPR.

He sent a text message to the club this morning saying he was doing OK and that he expected to stay in hospital for a week.

Skye officials have been in contact with his family.

Keysborough coach Chris Smith said it was a shocking scene as medical staff worked on his player.

“It was the worst thing I’ve been involved in footy,” he said.

“To see him … like, once the defibrillator gets called, it sort of rattles you. All our players were about 15 metres away from him just slumped on the ground and emotional.

“It sort of looked a bit like a war zone.

“The umpires were really good. Al Manning (veteran Southern league umpire) was controlling the game and he got Skye out of there because it did get a bit willing at a point there. A couple of us started losing control about it all.

“So once everyone did move away from it, you had a clear line of sight watching this 26-year-old kid getting CPR, getting shocked to bring him back to life.

“Seven minutes felt like four-and-a-half hours.”

Keysborough trainer Rhiannon Smith and Skye’s Briesha Bormann perform CPR on Jojo Ofosu-Amaah. Picture: Supplied

Smith credits Keysborough trainer Rhiannon Smith and Skye’s Briesha Bormann, a nurse at Frankston hospital, with saving Ofosu-Amaah’s life.

“Once he hit the ground he started having a seizure,” he said.

“They pulled his mouthguard out … she (Rhiannon) said there’s no pulse, get the ‘defib’ and off they went to work.

“There were other trainers there but between them they did the heavy lifting and got it done.

“Rhiannon got everyone into (work) mode, saying, ‘This is what we have to do, snap out of it, stop crying, let’s go, let’s go … this is what we have to do’.”

Smith said Ofosu-Amaah was “one of the most placid blokes.”

“He’s a model citizen, he doesn’t even swear,” Smith said.

“It was his second game for the club and he started dominating in the third quarter.”

A spectator at the ground said the episode was the “scariest’’ 10 minutes he had seen in 20 years of football.

“People shouldn’t be going to play a game of footy on a Saturday and end up fighting for your life,” he said.

He said the trainers had “gone to strap some ankles and ended up saving a life.”

Ofosu-Amaah is a former Cheltenham player and crossed to Keysborough this year.

Keysy said on social media on Saturday night: “All our thoughts tonight are with JoJo and all those that are close to him.

“Huge shout-out to our training staff and everyone involved. Words can‘t convey what you girls did today.”

The game was abandoned with Skye leading 7.6 (48) to 5.7 (37).

Southern league CEO Lee Hartman said the umpires phoned him to confirm the process for calling the game off.

He said the league’s primary concern was the health of Ofosu-Amaah.

“It’s all about Jojo’s welfare and he seems to be recovering all right. That’s the main thing,” Hartman said.

Both teams were wearing black armbands in memory of Justin Tully, who during the week had lost his long battle with cancer.

Tully played football for both clubs.

Originally published as Victorian local footballer hospitalised from suffering cardiac arrest after falling to the ground 50m off the ball