Football game abandoned after star collapses on pitch, placed in coma

A footballer has been rushed to hospital after suddenly collapsing on the field, leaving teammates weeping openly. WARNING: Distressing footage.

Edoardo Bove is conscious and alert in hospital after his sudden collapse which caused Fiorentina’s match with Inter Milan to be called off, the Serie A club said on Tuesday (AEDT).

In a statement, Fiorentina said that midfielder Bove “was awakened and extubated this morning. He is currently awake, alert and oriented” at Florence’s Careggi hospital.

“He has spoken with his family, club management, the coach and his teammates, who all rushed to go and see him as soon as they heard the good news,” added Fiorentina.

You can watch the scary scenes in the video player above

“Further tests will be carried out in the coming days to establish what led to the critical situation that took place yesterday.”

Midfielder Bove was rushed to the intensive care unit of the Careggi hospital following his sudden fall with 16 minutes played of Sunday’s fixture, which was goalless when it was stopped for the medical emergency.

Opposition players immediately know something was wrong.

TV cameras captured the disturbing moment he was lying motionless on the ground before players began screaming for medical personnel to run onto the ground.

Players and staff formed a wall around the midfielder while medical staff tended to the 22-year-old.

Teammates and rivals alike were seen crying and with their hands on their heads as the terrifying ordeal played out, The Sun reports.

Bove was seen bending down and tying his laces before standing up. After taking a few steps forward, he suddenly collapsed.

He was then taken off the field by stretcher before being placed in an ambulance that had driven onto the corner of the field.

Fiorentina's Italian midfielder Edoardo Bove is treated after suddenly collapsing. Photo by TIZIANA FABI / AFP.

Referee Daniele Doveri later told players to leave the pitch, with the match suspended due to the medical emergency.

Initial tests carried out on Sunday evening ruled out any serious damage to Bove’s central nervous and the cardio-respiratory systems.

The club’s first statement read: “The Viola player arrived at the emergency department in stable haemodynamic conditions and initial cardiological and neurological tests have ruled out acute damage to the central nervous system and the cardio-respiratory system”.

Fiorentina’s general manager Alessandro Ferrari said outside the hospital that Bove had told his teammates that he wanted them to play Wednesday’s Italian Cup tie with Empoli.

Inter Milan's French forward Marcus Thuram hid his face. Photo by TIZIANA FABI / AFP.

Fiorentina's Italian midfielder Danilo Cataldi was in distress. Photo by TIZIANA FABI / AFP.

“He convinced them to play on Wednesday so we will, because we want to get back to regular life. Thanks to Edoardo we’ll try to do that,” Ferrari told reporters.

Ferrari added that it was “too early” to speculate on Bove’s future as a footballer in Italy where medical requirements for professional sport are stringent.

Christian Eriksen had to leave Inter in 2021 in the wake of his cardiac arrest and collapse while playing for Denmark at that year’s European Championship.

Eriksen was banned from playing in Italian football after having an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or ICD, fitted but signed for Premier League club Brentford the following January.

Players rushed to Edoardo Bove. Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images.

The 32-year-old Eriksen now plies his trade for Manchester United and is still a regular for his national team, for whom he has now played 140 times.

“Given what we’ve seen today we all hope not (that his career is over), but there are a lot of tests and diagnoses that need to be carried out in the coming days,” said Ferrari.

Bove’s fall reminded Fiorentina fans of former captain Davide Astori, who in March 2018 died suddenly in his sleep aged 31 in a hotel before a league match at Udinese.

Worried supporters stayed in their seats at the Stadio Artemio Franchi long after the match had been stopped in the hope of positive news after having watched players from both sides and officials sob in shock.

Serie A confirmed to AFP that a meeting will be held on Monday afternoon to decide when the match will be completed, with Italian media reporting that it won’t be played until February.

— with AFP