All Italian football games this weekend have been suspended by the FIGC after the death of Livorno player Piermario Morosini.
The 25-year-old, who was owned by Udinese and on loan to Livorno, collapsed 31 minutes into Saturday's Serie B game at Pescara on Saturday.
Morosini was treated on the pitch before being taken away by ambulance to the Civile Santo Spirito hospital in Pescara, but he was later pronounced dead.
"When I reached the field, Morosini was in a cardiac and respiratory arrest," said the hospital's chief cardiologist Professor Leonardo Paloscia, who was in the stands of the match as a fan.
"We gave a cardiac massage for an hour and a half, first manually and then with various instruments, but there was nothing to be done."
The match was abandoned with Livorno leading 2-0, and the other players left the field in tears.
Livorno players and officials rushed to hospital, where they were told their teammate had passed away. They were paying their respects to the body before it is moved to the morgue.
"We are all shaken to the core," said Livorno president Aldo Spinelli.
"It is such a tough moment for us and we must try to come out of it together. We must find courage, but right now everyone is in a haze of confusion. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done against destiny."
Morosini had a tragic family history, as both his parents died young and his brother was also killed in an accident. The only remaining family member is an older sister.
"Life forced him to confront things that were larger than him," said Lecce coach Serse Cosmi, who gave Morosini his Serie A debut for Udinese in 2005.
"Destiny took him to be reunited with his family, this poor tragic family that had no luck at all. The only positive thing I can think of is that he might now be happy to be with them again."
The tragedy occurred in Pescara, who lost goalkeeping coach Francesco Mancini only two weeks ago to a heart attack at the age of 43.
"I am without words. It is a tragedy, you cannot die at this age on a football field," Pescara president Daniele Sebastiani told TMW.
The incident comes only a month after Bolton Wanderers' Fabrice Muamba collapsed during an FA Cup game against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, with the midfielder now recovering after having to fight for his life.
The incident led to calls for stringent heart checks to be made on professional footballers, following the example of those usually conducted so thoroughly in the Italian game.
In Italy there is mandatory cardiac screening for all young people engaged in organised sport.
The charity Cardiac Risk in the Young says that the Italian measures have reduced the incidence of young sudden cardiac death in Italy by 90 percent in the 30 years since the screening was introduced.
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| Medics treat Livorno player Piermario Morosini after he suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch Photo: Getty Images |
The 25-year-old, who was owned by Udinese and on loan to Livorno, collapsed 31 minutes into Saturday's Serie B game at Pescara on Saturday.
Morosini was treated on the pitch before being taken away by ambulance to the Civile Santo Spirito hospital in Pescara, but he was later pronounced dead.
"When I reached the field, Morosini was in a cardiac and respiratory arrest," said the hospital's chief cardiologist Professor Leonardo Paloscia, who was in the stands of the match as a fan.
"We gave a cardiac massage for an hour and a half, first manually and then with various instruments, but there was nothing to be done."
The match was abandoned with Livorno leading 2-0, and the other players left the field in tears.
Livorno players and officials rushed to hospital, where they were told their teammate had passed away. They were paying their respects to the body before it is moved to the morgue.
"We are all shaken to the core," said Livorno president Aldo Spinelli.
"It is such a tough moment for us and we must try to come out of it together. We must find courage, but right now everyone is in a haze of confusion. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done against destiny."
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| Livorno player Piermario Morosini is helped by doctors as he lies on the pitch Photo: Reuters |
Morosini had a tragic family history, as both his parents died young and his brother was also killed in an accident. The only remaining family member is an older sister.
"Life forced him to confront things that were larger than him," said Lecce coach Serse Cosmi, who gave Morosini his Serie A debut for Udinese in 2005.
"Destiny took him to be reunited with his family, this poor tragic family that had no luck at all. The only positive thing I can think of is that he might now be happy to be with them again."
The tragedy occurred in Pescara, who lost goalkeeping coach Francesco Mancini only two weeks ago to a heart attack at the age of 43.
"I am without words. It is a tragedy, you cannot die at this age on a football field," Pescara president Daniele Sebastiani told TMW.
The incident comes only a month after Bolton Wanderers' Fabrice Muamba collapsed during an FA Cup game against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, with the midfielder now recovering after having to fight for his life.
The incident led to calls for stringent heart checks to be made on professional footballers, following the example of those usually conducted so thoroughly in the Italian game.
In Italy there is mandatory cardiac screening for all young people engaged in organised sport.
The charity Cardiac Risk in the Young says that the Italian measures have reduced the incidence of young sudden cardiac death in Italy by 90 percent in the 30 years since the screening was introduced.
Also see:
