Tom Lockyer, captain of Luton Town, fainted this Saturday in the 59th minute of the match against Bournemouth, which was suspended; He was treated by doctors on the grass for more than a quarter of an hour amid the concern and alarm of both teams and the public and was finally taken off the field on a stretcher to be transferred to a hospital.
"Our medical staff have confirmed that the captain suffered cardiac arrest on the field, but was already responding when he was stretchered out. He received additional treatment inside the stadium, for which we once again thank the medical teams on both sides," Luton explained in a new statement.
"Tom has been taken to hospital, where we can assure his followers that he is stable and is currently undergoing further tests with his family at his bedside. We would like to thank everyone for their support, concern and loving messages for Locks," he added.
The Luton defender suffered a similar episode in the promotion final with Coventry last May, for which he underwent "heart surgery" and was "given the go-ahead to play again in June" .
On the verge of the hour mark, with the score at 1-1, suddenly, near midfield, the defender collapsed alone, without any previous blow, without any player by his side, when the game was taking place in another sector of the field. Vitality Stadium ground. The players quickly arrived, amid warning signs, with no reaction from the footballer, his coach, Rob Edwards, even jumped onto the field at full speed.
The medical services immediately came to treat the footballer, lying face down on the ground, apparently unconscious, amidst the gestures of concern from all his teammates, rivals and fans, amidst the silence in the stadium stands.
The concern was striking in some of the players, like his teammate Issa Kabore, with his hands on his face, before all of them headed to the sideline, towards their benches, amidst the tension of the moment, waiting for the result of Lockyer's medical care.
In the 65th minute, the referee of the match, Simon Hooper, decreed that the players of both teams go to the locker room during the interruption of the clash at the Vitality stadium, initially temporary, although later it was a definitive suspension until another date.
Meanwhile, after a quarter of an hour of medical attention, Lockyer was removed from the field of play amid applause from the public to be taken directly to the hospital, awaiting news about his state of health and the relevant tests.
"The match between AFC Bournemouth and Luton Town FC has been suspended due to a player's medical incident. Our thoughts are with Tom Lockyer and all the players involved in today's match," the Premier League later announced.
The Luton players took to the pitch after the suspension of the match was confirmed to thank both visiting and home fans for their support, as well as their coach.
The match was suspended with the score of 1-1. Luton took the lead first, through Elijah Adebayo, who rose through the defense to put his team ahead with a shot from a corner kick in the 3rd minute. In the 58th minute, moments before the event, Dominik Solanke scored 1 -1.
