MILAN — Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini died Saturday after suffering cardiac arrest and collapsing during a Serie B match at Pescara. He was 25.
Edoardo De Blasio, a cardiologist at Pescara’s Santo Spirito hospital, confirmed the death.
« Unfortunately he was already dead when he arrived at hospital, » De Blasio said. « He didn’t regain consciousness. »
Morosini, who was on loan from Udinese, fell to the ground in the 31st minute of the match and tried unsuccessfully to get up before receiving medical attention on the field. A defibrillator was used on the player, and he was conscious when he was taken off on a stretcher.
« He looked at me in the eyes when he was taken into the ambulance, » Pescara’s general manager, Danilo Iannascoli, told Sky Italia. « We are living through a drama. »
All Italian matches for the weekend were canceled after his death was announced.
It was the latest high-profile case of a soccer player collapsing from heart failure on the field, coming less than a month after Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba suffered cardiac arrest during a game in England. Muamba survived, but remains in intensive care.
Italian media reports said a car belonging to traffic police blocked the ambulance’s way into the stadium Saturday and a window had to be broken so the car could be moved.
« I don’t know if the ambulance was late, but I know that the entrance onto the pitch was blocked by a vehicle, » Iannascoli said. « Morosini collapsed, he tried to get back up but then collapsed again. »
The match was abandoned with Livorno leading 2-0, and some players left the field in tears. Livorno players and officials rushed to hospital, where they were told their teammate had passed away.
AP
