Two days after the collapse of their playmaker Christian Eriksen, the first Danish international players have also expressed clear criticism of the European football association UEFA because the European Championship game against Finland (0: 1) continued on Saturday evening despite the shock.
"We players were put in a position that I don't think is fair," said goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel on Monday at a media round in the Danish team's EM quarters in Elsinore.
After it became clear that Eriksen had survived his cardiac arrest and was taken to hospital conscious, UEFA gave both teams a choice, according to Schmeichel: either the game will continue the same evening or on Sunday lunchtime. “One should have waited to make a decision. I hope UEFA learns something from this, ”said the 34-year-old Leicester City goalkeeper. "It would probably have been necessary for someone in a higher position than us to say: Now is not the time to make a decision."
Schmeichel, Martin Braithwaite from FC Barcelona and former Bayern professional Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg from Tottenham Hotspur spoke at a media meeting on Monday as the first Danish player since Eriksen's collapse.
Braithwaite also supported Schmeichel's criticism of UEFA.
“Neither of the two options was good.
We chose the least bad.
A lot of players weren't able to play, ”he said.
In front of the players at the weekend, coach Kasper Hjulmand and several Danish football legends such as Schmeichel's father Peter Schmeichel criticized UEFA's behavior.
The displeasure with the European association is also increased by the fact that UEFA presented it on Saturday evening as if both teams wanted to continue playing.