Italy players to receive first-aid training in wake of Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 after heroic Denmark captain Simon Kjaer rushed over to clear his airways before medics arrived
- Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the pitch during Denmark’s Euro 2020 game with Finland on Saturday night
- Inter Milan star needed three minutes of CPR but is now in a stable condition
- Danish captain Simon Kjaer rushed over and administered first aid on Eriksen
- Now players in Italy are to receive mandatory first-aid training to help players
- This training roll-out will begin with Roberto Mancini’s national side
- Find out the latest Euro 2020 news including fixtures, live action and results here.
Italy stars could be asked to take basic first-aid courses during Euro 2020 after Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch at the weekend.
The Denmark playmaker required three minutes of CPR after suffering a cardiac arrest just before half-time in his country’s Euro 2020 opener with Finland on Saturday, but is now in a stable condition in hospital.
Denmark captain Simon Kjaer was the first to attend to Eriksen, appearing to clear his airways and help form a protective ring around his team-mate as they waited for the medics to arrive.
Denmark captain Simon Kjaer (top) administered first aid on Christian Eriksen after he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during Saturday’s game with Finland
Kjaer also comforted Eriksen’s girlfriend Sabrina Kvist Jensen as medics saved his life
After watching the scenes from Copenhagen, Italian FA chief Gabriele Gravina intends to roll out mandatory first-aid courses across the game – starting with Roberto Mancini’s national side.
‘We will do an in-depth study of what happened but we will also look at another factor – quick and effective first aid on the pitch,’ said Gravina.
‘We are working on developing these courses in time for when our clubs return for pre-season. We plan to start during the national team’s training camp.’
The Italy squad are set to receive first-aid training along with every footballer in the country
The Italy team line up ahead of their Euro 2020 opener against Turkey on Friday evening
On Monday, Eriksen’s agent Martin Schoots said he had spoken to the midfielder on Sunday and he was ‘making jokes’ and ‘in good form’.
Team-mate Martin Braithwaite added: ‘I am still emotional about the situation. Most importantly Christian is feeling better and therefore I am feeling better too.
‘His health is the most important thing of all. It was important for me personally to see that he felt better via video. I had some pictures in my head from last Saturday that I would like to get rid of.’