The Belgian football community is in a state of shock after one of their rising stars suffered an apparent heart attack during an U21 match.
The condition of Belgian defender Gregory Mertens has worsened since he collapsed on the pitch with a heart-related illness.
Mertens is in an induced coma in a Genk hospital on a life support machine, and a spokesman has said that the signs aren’t looking good.
“His situation has deteriorated. We are waiting for the worst news to come.”
The 24-year-old Lokeren defender Gregory Mertens suffered a cardiac arrest during a reserve match against Genk. It’s believed the player was resuscitated on the pitch with a defibrillator and was subsequently taken to hospital.
Belgian defender Gregory Mertens (Lokeren) suffered a heart attack on the pitch during a u21 game. pic.twitter.com/UvkjdDUFaT”
— Kristof Terreur (@kristofterreur) April 27, 2015
The Jupiler Pro League club explained that the nature of Mertens’ heart condition has yet to be established.
They added that Mertens passed all the pre-season health tests required by Uefa and was judged to be one of the fittest players at the club.
Hat-tip to BBC
