A Greek footballer has died after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch during a game where there was no defibrillator or ambulance at the stadium.
The player, aged 21, was playing for a Greek third tier team, Ilioupoli, when tragedy struck five minutes into the game.
The stadium is within a south-eastern suburb of the Greek capital Athens, but the ambulance did not arrive for 20 minutes, The Sun reports, and there was no way to resuscitate the stricken player at the ground.
The incident comes after the world watched in horror only eight months ago when Christian Eriksen collapsed suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest, while playing for Denmark at Euro 2020.
In that incident, Denmark’s team doctor, Morten Boesen, confirmed that the 29-year-old had gone into cardiac arrest on the pitch and was brought back through a combination of CPR and an electric shock from a defibrillator.
Eriksen’s life was saved and he is now set to make a remarkable return to top-flight football with Brentford.
The Danish midfielder has been allowed to return to professional football after a defibrillator was implanted into his body, which helps to regulate his heart rate.
Since Eriksen’s collapse football has been rocked by a series of high-profile incidents among players.
This season, Wigan striker Charlie Wyke, 28, collapsed in training, Sheffield United’s John Fleck, 30, collapsed on the pitch at Reading and Adama Traore, 25, went down clutching his chest while playing in the Champions League for Sheriff Tiraspol against Real Madrid.
Icelandic midfielder Emil Palsson, 28, also required resuscitation after a cardiac arrest in October.
In Athens, the match against Ermionida was abandoned following the traumatic incident.
Ilioupoli wrote on the club website, “Our Aleko, our friend, our brother, you left so unjustly.
“The whole team, the whole city is mourning today.
“The words do not come out… only an unbearable pain and a knot in the stomach. Have a good trip Alecara.”
Staff from both sides tried to revive Lampis, according to local reports.
