by Luca Valdiserri
Evan Ndicka underwent an electrocardiogram in the locker room and then it was decided to take him to hospital where a heart attack was ruled out. The Roma players didn’t feel like playing and the referee and Udinese agreed to suspend the match
The fear was great, the decision was right. Evan Ndicka is not in danger of his life and Udinese-Roma was interrupted in the 27th minute of the second half after the 24-year-old Franco-Ivorian defender collapsed alone on the pitch, clutching his chest. Help was immediately available on the pitch, and the intervention was very prompt in the locker room where the Giallorossi underwent an electrocardiogram which recommended hospitalization. Ride in an ambulance, escorted by the police. Ndicka always remained conscious and was hospitalized for new checks which started with cardiology ones, for fear of a heart attack.
Wanted by Mou, strong in the head, soon to be the starter: Evan Ndicka
The doctors, however, also looked at other possible causes of the illness, through a CT scan, and excluded the most feared hypothesis, that is, cardiac arrest. Ndicka fell to the ground without anyone near him, but by rewinding the video of the match you can see physical clashes in the 38th, 66th and 70th minutes. The collapse on the pitch could be the delayed reaction of a blow to the side. Did an internal hematoma cause the illness? The most important news is that Ndicka is not in danger of his life, the other is that his career as a footballer should also be safe. Recovery times are in the hands of the doctors.
The behavior of all the players in the match was commendable. Goalkeeper Svilar was the first to notice the danger, De Rossi rushed from the bench to realize what had happened. Then he spoke with the referee Pairetto and with the Udinese coach, Cioffi, to ask to temporarily interrupt the match. Ndicka was transported on a stretcher to the changing rooms and, seen by the cameras, gave a thumbs up sign. However, his condition seemed serious and it was decided that he would be admitted to hospital. The Roma players were psychologically unable to continue, the referee and opponents understood this and accepted it with a sense of solidarity.
First De Rossi and then Mancini ran into the changing rooms to assist Ndicka, then the managers, technical staff and teammates went to hospital. CEO Lina Souloukou, De Rossi and Pellegrini were able to communicate with Ndicka and reassured the other players. The coach tried to play down the situation with a joke to Ndicka: We’ll see you on Thursday against Milan. This may not be the case, but the worst has been averted.
On 14 April 2012 Piermario Morosini, of Livorno, died on the pitch during a match in breaking latest news. The autopsy spoke of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, two degrees of judgment condemned three doctors (the defibrillator was not used immediately) but on 11 October 2019 the Court of Appeal of Perugia acquitted everyone. Udine had already experienced a drama, this time without a happy ending. On 4 March 2018, while Fiorentina was in retreat awaiting the match against Udinese, Davide Astori was found lifeless in the hotel. According to the autopsy, death was caused by ventricular fibrillation due to a silent arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.
The remaining minutes of Udinese-Roma, stopped at 1-1 thanks to goals from Pereyra and Lukaku, will be played at a later date, given that the Giallorossi will be involved in the Europa League against Milan on Thursday. But this is the least important detail.
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April 15, 2024 (changed April 15, 2024 | 08:05)
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