Christian Eriksen is not permitted to play in Italy this season as a result of the cardiac arrest he suffered at Euro 2020, his club Inter Milan said.
Eriksen suffered an on-field cardiac arrest during Denmark’s opening game of Euro 2020 against Finland in June.
He had to be resuscitated with a defibrillator on the pitch after his heart stopped, with his teammates surrounding him to shield him from the 38,000-strong crowd.
The match resumed 90 minutes later, with Denmark losing 1-0.
He later had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device implanted — a type of pacemaker which can prevent fatal cardiac arrests by discharging a jolt to restore a regular heart rhythm.
Francesco Braconaro, a member of the Italian Football Federation’s technical scientific committee, said in August that Eriksen will not be allowed to play in Italy unless the ICD device is removed.
“The player has been temporarily inhibited by the Italian medical authority from sporting activity in the current season,” the club wrote in a statement on Thursday.
“Although the current conditions of the player don’t meet the requirements of achieving sporting fitness in Italy, the same could instead be achieved in other countries where the player could resume competitive activity.”
It is unclear as to whether other countries would allow Eriksen to participate in their respective leagues with the ICD device fitted.
Inter Milan, the reigning Serie A champions, are open to letting the 29-year-old Danish midfielder leave the club.
The BBC reported that Dutch defender Daley Blind, who currently plays for Ajax in the Eredivisie, has been fitted with an ICD after being diagnosed with heart inflammation.
Th 31-year-old is able to play for both Ajax and The Netherlands national team.
Inter sit third in Serie A after 10 games this season, seven points behind leaders Napoli.
Reuters/ABC
