Danish FA calls for changes to UEFA procedures after Eriksen collapse

Copenhagen, June 16

The Danish Football Association has called on UEFA to change its procedures following the collapse of midfielder Christian Eriksen in their Euro 2020 match against Finland and the subsequent decision to resume the game.

The Danes were offered the chance to restart the match the same evening or at 1200 midday on the following day.

Despite being clearly shaken up, they resumed the match and lost 1-0, but coach Kasper Hjulmand and his players have since said they would have preferred not to have played.

“It was a wrong decision and completely untenable that the players had to be on the field so soon after the horrible experience,” DBU chairman Jesper Moller said in a statement on Wednesday.

“That is a situation players and coaches should not be put in, because it is not and should not be their decision.”

Eriksen suffered a heart attack on the pitch and was taken to hospital where he is now recovering.

UEFA has come in for sharp criticism from former Danish internationals Peter Schmeichel and Michael Laudrup, with the latter saying the choice of resuming on either Saturday or Sunday was not a choice at all.

“We now want an evaluation of the entire decision-making process so that we can get all the relevant facts and information on the table,” Moller said.

“We must look at a change in the rules to ensure that we are never in the same situation again. We are ready to present a resolution to UEFA,” he added.

In a statement to Reuters, UEFA said it “treated the matter with the utmost respect for the sensitive situation and the players. It was decided to restart the match only after the two teams requested to finish the game on the same evening”.

The Danes face Belgium in their second Group B game at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on Thursday. Reuters

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