The agent of a late Cameroonian footballer has asked Fifa to train all players and coaches in how to treat victims of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). Hasan Anil Eken, whose client Patrick Ekeng died in such circumstances last year, believes this could prove crucial in a battle to save a player’s life.

“With this injury, every second is very important to save lives,” Eken wrote. Fifa says SCA victims have “a success rate of 90% for resuscitation” if correctly treated within two minutes. This involves using an automatic external defibrillator, a device that sends a powerful electric shock to a heart to try to restore its natural rhythm.

Cameroonian Ekeng died in May 2016 playing for Dinamo Bucharest in Romania. The ambulance that treated him had no defibrillator.

Since early June, two Ivorian footballers have died of suspected heart issues – Cheick Tiote and Eugene Kouame. “Football players are the ones who are closest to (each other) – timing is important,” Eken said in his letter to football’s world governing body.

Source: BBC