Midfielder Christian Eriksen is said to not be allowed to play again with Inter Milan in the Italian League after collapsing at Euro 2020 due to cardiac arrest.
After the collapse incident, Eriksen underwent surgery and was fitted with an assistive device for his heart. The device in the form of a cardioverter defibrillator implant is claimed to have thwarted Eriksen’s career in Serie A.
Quoted from Sportbible based on the Italian Football report, the Head of the Scientific Committee of the FIGC (Italian Football Association) Franco Braconaro mentioned the conditions that allowed Eriksen to continue playing at Inter.
According to Braconaro, the 29-year-old midfielder can continue his career in the Italian league as long as he is declared healthy without being dependent on the ICD heart starter.
“Christian Eriksen cannot be given permission to play in Italy [if using the ICD],” said Braconaro.
“If the player’s defibrillator is removed, that means the problem with [the] disease can be solved, then he can return to playing for Inter,” Braconaro added.
With this, Eriksen has two options if he wants to return to professional football. The first is removing the defibrillator, which will pave the way for him to be able to continue playing for Inter.
Second, the 29-year-old can play in another league where players are allowed to play with a defibrillator installed. That is similar to the case of Daley Blind who is still playing for Ajax in the Eredivisie after being diagnosed with inflammation of the heart muscle in December 2019.
Former Manchester United player who is now appearing at Ajax Amsterdam, Daley Blind experienced a similar condition to Eriksen.
Blind suffered a heart problem in December 2019 when Ajax played Valencia in the Champions League. After the incident, Blind had to be fitted with a heart device in the form of a defibrillator.
However, Blind’s fate was different from Eriksen’s. The 31-year-old player is still allowed to play in the Dutch League. It’s just that Blind’s disease had a relapse in August 2020. At that time Blind fainted during the Ajax vs Hertha Berlin friendly match.
However, Daley Blind still supports Eriksen, who is also a former Ajax player who continued his career after being paired with ICD.
“Look where I am today. This is why I say to everyone, ‘Leave Christian alone!’. I feel ready, and I feel comfortable returning to playing after getting the green light from the doctors at the hospital and the medical staff at Ajax, ‘ said Blinds.
“There’s no reason why I can’t play at the top level anymore. The most important thing is that you have to feel free in your head,” Blind continued.
