Fabrice N’Sakala of Besiktas is the third player that collapsed on the pitch so far in 2021. The 31-year-old Congolese left-back collapsed on the pitch during Saturday’s Turkish Super Lig match with Gaziantepspor.
According to a statement on the official website of Besiktas, Fabrice N’Sakala collapsed on the pitch in the 70th minute of the league game.
He received brief medical attention on the pitch before an ambulance drove to the pitch and took him to the hospital straight from the stadium.
“The Congolese international left-back was taken to the hospital immediately. The early reports have shown that he is in better condition and doing quite well”, a statement from Besiktas read.
“Besiktas JK have thanked those football-lovers who have shown concern.”
At the time of publishing this report, the Turkish club have not disclosed the cause of Fabrice N’Sakala’s collapse. He is still receiving treatment at a hospital in Turkey.
After the incident, the league match continued and the Congolese international was replaced by Burak Yılmaz in the 76th minute. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.
Fabrice N’Sakala joined Besiktas on August 12, 2020, from another Turkish side, Alanyaspor as a free agent. Since he joined the club, the Congolese defender has played 37 times in all competitions. He has scored a goal and provided two assists.
Fabrice N’Sakala’s incident came about two months after Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch during a Euro 2020 group-stage match against Finland in Copenhagen.
Eriksen’s incident was so severe that the European Championship match was halted for some hours. The Inter Milan player had to undergo surgery through which a defibrillator, a heart starting device, was installed in him.
On August 15, 2021, Samuel Kalu, a Nigerian winger who plays for French Ligue 1 club, Bordeaux, collapsed on the pitch during a league game against Marseille.
The case of the Nigerian international was not so severe as he continued the game briefly before he was substituted. Bordeaux confirmed that Kalu collapsed because of excessive heat.
