Attention turns to Italy this Monday, following Evan Ndicka’s collapse during the match against Udinese. The Ivorian player is now recovering well, according to Federico Balzaretti, former Roma defender and current technical area manager at Udinese, who provided further details.
Balzaretti spoke to RadioSerieA about what happened to Evan Ndicka. He discussed the current state of the Ivorian player’s health, expressing assurance based on recent updates that Ndicka is much improved.
Reassuring news for Evan Ndicka
“The boy is doing well, from what I know based on the updates published. The club itself will provide more information. The news is positive compared to yesterday’s scare, which gives us hope. It seems the worst is behind us, but we await official communications from Roma. Our defender Kamara, his teammate in the national team, was with him until late last night and let us know that Evan was calmer,” reveals Federico Balzaretti. He also recounted the initial moments following Ndicka’s collapse, highlighting the initial difficulties doctors faced in diagnosing him on the spot. “Doctors were trying to take his pulse, but due to the noise in the stadium, they couldn’t hear well.
When one of the rescuers asked the crowd to quiet down to hear the heartbeat, there was a surreal thirty seconds of silence. Our fans were exceptional and understood the gravity of the moment. The Bluenergy Stadium in Udine is very functional; within ten seconds, the boy was already in the emergency room at the facility, and after further checks, it was decided to take him immediately to the hospital,” confides Federico Balzaretti. “The players were very good on the field, and I must also commend referee Pairetto, who handled the situation fantastically, with extreme sensitivity and calmness. Yesterday, the human aspect prevailed, which is the most important. Human life was prioritized over the event itself. It was the right thing to do. It’s never easy in those moments to make the right decisions, but respect prevailed, and the fans were exemplary,” he adds.
AS Roma’s Exemplary Support for Evan Ndicka
“Living in the present moment, one risks becoming too involved. De Rossi and Cioffi also immediately spoke with the referee: Roma had asked to wait until the boy’s health condition was known to decide whether to resume or suspend the match. As soon as they told us about the transport to the hospital, De Rossi asked the boys if they felt like playing. The resumption will be decided after Thursday’s Europa League match; we are available,” reveals Udinese’s current technical area manager.
AS Roma showed great solidarity in supporting their player. Coach Daniele De Rossi and captain Lorenzo Pellegrini visited Ndicka in the hospital, offering words of encouragement and comfort. This empathetic gesture truly illustrated the unity and camaraderie within the team. De Rossi then informed the rest of the team about Ndicka’s health condition, further strengthening the already strong bonds among Roma members.
Football fields are often the stage for intense emotions but also sometimes worrying situations. The sudden collapses of players during a match are events that unsettle teams, supporters, and the entire sports community, highlighting the vulnerability of even the most trained athletes.
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