Clive Clarke: A distressing evening

[TightEnd]

I took my sons to the City Ground tonight to watch Leicester play in a local derby against Forest

We were losing deservedly 1-0 when at half time we saw paramedics rushing down the tunnel

The Leicester players then re-emerged onto the pitch with the backroom staff looking shaken

Two announcements then followed that the second half was delayed before both managers took to the pitch to announce the abandonment of the match due to the collapse of Clive Clarke, Leicester defender on loan at Sunderland, in the dressing room

Clarke had fallen unconscious, mouth to mouth failed and a defibrallator was required to rescusitate him

Clearly in these circumstances abandonment was the right option.

Latest news was that he regained consciousness and is stable in hospital

This follows news of the death of Seville player Antonio Puerta during a match in the last few days and before that Marc Vivien Foe will be a tragedy we all remember

I wonder if we can draw any conclusions from this or should we be treating these as isolated instances?

In the car home I talked to my boys, obviously a bit confused about events...as they would be to hear of this happening to a fit 27 year old man and a new hero of theirs

Here they are before the match, in happier times for us.

[Graham C]

Oh blimey!  What's going on?

I think you have to treat them as isolated, there's millions of pro footballers in the world and only one or two are having problems.  Just one of those unfortunate things I think.

Completely shocking though, hope he gets better soon and it's a one off for him, I heard Antonio had collapsed prior to the weekends' game.

[bolt pp]

what other conclusions could you draw?

healthy 13 year olds drop down dead playing football in the park from a heart attack, this stuff happens, theres so many things that can go wrong with the human body and 6.5 billion of them wandering about its not unexpected is it?

Tell them whatever the hospital releases to the public, untill then you cant tell them what you dont know, hes ill and he had to go to hospital, it was quite serious so they called off the game.

[kinboshi]

It's sad.  Puerta dies leaving behind a wife who's 8-months pregnant as well. 

A friend of mine who was a semi-professional footballer, collapsed and died on a football pitch.  He was 17.  No one knew about a heart condition he had - and I guess it's a similar condition to Puerta's and others.  Neil O'Shea was his name, and he'd be 32 now.  A lovely lad who had a great future ahead of him.

[TightEnd]

Clive suffered two heart failures at half time

What a fantastic job those paramedics must have done

[TheChipPrince]

Clive suffered two heart failures at half time

What a fantastic job those paramedics must have done

here here...

[TheChipPrince]

Oh blimey!  What's going on?

I think you have to treat them as isolated, there's millions of pro footballers in the world and only one or two are having problems.  Just one of those unfortunate things I think.

Completely shocking though, hope he gets better soon and it's a one off for him, I heard Antonio had collapsed prior to the weekends' game.

Bit carried away there silo?!

[Graham C]

maybe a little, but I bet it's quite a few,

tens of thousands maybe, lots anyway.

[kinboshi]

About 5,000 registered pros in England (or thereabouts).

[boldie]

I think a case can be made that a medical should be more thorough for top athletes, they put their bodies under tremendous amount of stress and push them to the limit and should be tested accordingly. Good to hear he's doing better now though.

[bolt pp]

I think a case can be made that a medical should be more thorough for top athletes.

I dont know what medical protocools are adhered to by the top proffessional athletes, specifically footballers, but i'd imagine after shelling out 17 million for a striker the chairman of that club may sleep a tad easier knowing owens walking around with a thermometer up his arse.

[boldie]

I think a case can be made that a medical should be more thorough for top athletes.

I dont know what medical protocools are adhered to by the top proffessional athletes, specifically footballers, but i'd imagine after shelling out 17 million for a striker the chairman of that club may sleep a tad easier knowing owens walking around with a thermometer up his arse.

lmao

[BigTomatoes]

About 5,000 registered pros in England (or thereabouts).

 check how many registered pros there are in Brazil , i think Silo is probably right , look at Africa and Asia as well .

 probably is millions

[kinboshi]

Brazil has about 2,000 professional football clubs - but not all the 'professionals' are paid.  So even if we assume that there are 100,000 pro footballers in Brazil, I can't see other countries getting anywhere near that figure.  So a million is probably a little too high, and milllions is probably way too high a number.

The Professional Footballer's Assocation has less than 40,000 members (but I guess that doesn't cover anywhere near all of them).

If China and India suddenly had a huge growth in their domestic football leagues, then millions would be a more realistic figure.

[kinboshi]

Another player died suddenly yesterday as well:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/6970025.stm