What’s the story?
Veteran East Bengal defender Anwar Ali has been admitted to a hospital in Kolkata after suffering a major cardiac arrest following training today.
Speaking about the incident, East Bengal Assistant Secretary Dr. Shanti Ranjan Dasgupta told xtratime.in, “Yes it was indeed a major heart-attack and now under the observance of Dr. Sunip Bandyopadhyay. They will first do the angiogram and then will do the angioplasty accordingly. I heard that he is stable now. But it’s indeed a very bad news.”
In case you didn’t know...
Anwar Ali defied expectations last year in the ISL as he formed a formidable partnership at the heart of the Mumbai City defence alongside Romanian Lucian Goian. The pairing helped Mumbai qualify for the ISL playoffs last time around – the first time in their history.
They, however, bowed out in the semi-finals stage to eventual champions Atletico de Kolkata.
The heart of the matter
Ali had complained of feeling uneasy during the training session. But it was when he was heading back home after training that things got serious and he had to be rushed to Medica Superspeciality Hospital in Kolkata. Following an angiogram test conducted at the hospital, the doctors confirmed that it was a case of a heart attack. The player will remain under observation for another day.
Anwar Ali has been one of the most renowned Indian defenders and played a vital part in Mohun Bagan’s first ever I-League triumph two seasons ago in 2014/15. After performing admirably for Mumbai in the ISL, he was awarded a contract from East Bengal and deservedly so.
Ali played only five games for the Red and Gold this season where he performed admirably under Trevor Morgan before a groin injury forced him out.
What’s next?
Anwar had been working hard to make it back for the club’s Federation Cup campaign. However, this setback means that this could be the end of the road for the former Indian international for this season.
Author’s Take
It’s hard to comment on the current situation. However, this should serve as an example for all clubs to have emergency services ready at the ground as incidents like these can creep up anytime. We wish Ali the best and hope for a quick recovery.
