According to witnesses who attended the big match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield, one of the stewards at the Kop end (near block 202) suffered a heart-attack during the game. The incident occurred during the first half and he had to receive treatment before he was shifted to a hospital.
It is understood that the St Johns Ambulance staff stationed at the ground rushed to help revive him and he was treated in one of the photographer’s pits. The medics performed Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for a good 10 minutes in an attempt to resusciate him. Even the club doctor was on hand to provide any help.
The steward was taken to a hospital and his condition is said to be stable. George Sephton, the man who has been an announcer at Anfield for 45 years, tweeted last night that he had received updates from senior officials at the club who told him the steward was better and that the signs were encouraging.
Although Liverpool lost 1-0, most fans who witnessed the incident will be thankful the steward survived. Kop legend Bill Shankly may have said football is more important than life and death. But on this day, it wasn’t.
You'd think that because I'm a season ticket holder and I've just witnessed a very undeserved loss I'd be upset... But I...
Posted by Christopher Rimmer on Sunday, 17 January 2016
Evokes memories of when Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch
The Fabrice Muamba incident is still fresh in the minds of football fans. The then 23-year-old English midfielder had collpased during an FA Cup tie between his club Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur.
43 minutes into the game, Muamba collapsed on the pitch and was practically ‘dead for 78 minutes’. Medics at the ground and even a fan, a cardiologist named Dr Andrew Deaner, had rushed to his side to help and administer CPR. Deaner had rushed down to the pitch and convinced the stewards to let him through, saying: “This is what I do every day.”
Fans watched in utter shock and chanted his name, urging him to get up. Some players from both sides were even reduced to tears as they watched the medics try to revive Muamba.
In the six minutes after, Muamba was also given two defibrillation shocks before he was taken down the White Hart Lane tunnel and into an ambulance. He was given an additional shock in the tunnel and 12 more in the ambulance as they tried to revive him.
It wasn’t until he reached the London Chest Hospital and 30 minutes of shocks and drugs to get his heart going again did his heart start beating again. Muamba would only regain consciousness 36 hours later and miraculously did not suffer any brain damage. But he would never play again as doctors advised him to quit football if he wanted to live a healthy life.
