The whole football world and the German team are shaken by the collapse of the Danish midfield star Christian Eriksen in the European Championship game against Finland (0: 1). The players and national coach Joachim Löw gathered in their EM camp in Herzogenaurach on Saturday evening in front of a screen that showed a picture of Eriksen. "Dear Christian Eriksen, our thoughts are with you and we wish you a speedy recovery," wrote the national team's Twitter account. In the picture, Löw and his players put their thumbs up. Some of the national players expressed their personal recovery wishes via social media.
Eriksen collapsed on the pitch at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen just before half-time. Rescuers who were called immediately initiated life-saving measures. In the stadium and in the German quarter there was a moment of silence during this dramatic phase. Eriksen was transported to the hospital where, according to the Danish Association, his condition stabilized. The relief was correspondingly great when it came to the German selection.
Meanwhile, the former soccer world champions Christoph Kramer and Per Mertesacker have clearly criticized the continuation of the EM game after the collapse. “In my opinion, the mistake lies with UEFA, which has to say: We have a wider perspective, they won't play anymore today. I don't know who can have a different opinion, ”said Kramer on ZDF late on Saturday evening.
The game was restarted after an hour and a half interruption.
The decision to continue the game on Saturday evening was made by both teams, according to unanimous statements.
“The question is, can one of them have a clear thought at this moment,” said Kramer.
“I just say: No.
It wasn't about football today.
Then I find: Let the emotions sink in first, sleep over it for a night, then you can still play it. "
In a first interview after the game, Denmark's coach Kasper Hjulmand said, according to a translation on ZDF, visibly moved: “We had one of ours who was on the ground and fighting for his life.
That means that football becomes completely pointless.
We are glad that he is fine. "
Mertesacker said: “When you hear the interview afterwards, you ask yourself why they were still playing. That's my question. I can't understand it. ”The Danish federation announced that evening that the players and Eriksen's family would now be offered professional help in the form of psychological support. "It is a traumatic experience that they are exposed to," said coach Hjulmand.