Everything that happened with the fall and death of player Juan Izquierdo

The Nacional-URU football team went to the Morumbi stadium to play São Paulo in the round of 16 of the Conmebol Libertadores. During the game, with the ball still rolling, the visiting team was losing 2-0 and being eliminated from the tournament. At the end of the second half of the game, defender Juan Izquierdo, who came on during the break between the two halves, fell ill and fell on the field.

Before the referee blew the first whistle, while all the players were warming up, the medical team was also preparing for the ambulance to enter the field. According to FIFA, when a player falls on the field without having contact with other players, it is considered a sudden cardiac arrest. At 39 minutes into the second half of the game, and within 15 seconds, the coaching staff of the National team was already providing care for Izquierdo. Seconds later, the referee was able to signal for the ambulance to enter the field and provide assistance in time, and in less than 42 seconds, the doors were already opening.

^{Death of Player Juan Izquierdo (Photo: reproduction/ Getty Images Embed/Ernesto Ryan)}

More information about the situation in the ambulance

In an exclusive interview with Globo Esporte, a representative from Conmebol said that Izquierdo was still breathing and had a pulse when he got into the ambulance. And, since there was no cardiac arrest at that time, the defibrillator was not activated and the doctors did not perform cardiac maneuvers. Although, according to the representative, there were doubts about a heart problem, the decision was made by the medical team.

Clinical status

Juan Izquierdo had four cardiologists interviewed by the evening news program Fantástico, who did not want to be interviewed, but they all understood that the patient may have confused a heart problem with a neurological one and had convulsions. FIFA's protocol clearly states that “Slow seizure-like activity should be considered sudden cardiac arrest and should not be confused with a seizure”. The reason was cardiac arrest which caused the blood to not carry oxygen to the body, and the cells began to die.

Featured Photo: Player Juan Izquierdo (Reproduction/Getty Images Embed/Ernesto Ryan)