Denmark's players expressed their displeasure on Monday with the situation in which team-mate Christian Eriksen collapsed during their first European football match on Saturday, having had to choose between completing the match on the same evening or the next morning.
And the European Union (UEFA) offered the players, when they gathered in the dressing rooms after they witnessed Eriksen’s treatment on the field after a heart attack, to resume the match on Saturday evening or start again on Sunday at 12.00 local time (10.00 GMT).
"They put us in a position that I don't personally think we should be in," Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel told reporters on Monday.
"It may have taken someone above us to say it's not the time to make a decision and maybe we should wait for the next day," he added.
His colleague Martin Braithwaite agreed.
"We were hoping for a third option for the situation. There was no good option and we chose the least bad, and a lot of players could not play mentally," the striker said.
🇩🇰 Respect
🇫🇮
Get well soon, Christian.
#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/SyWDfFAcXG
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) June 12, 2021
But UEFA said it had handled the situation with due care at this time.
"We treated the sensitive situation of the players with the utmost respect, and it was decided to resume the match only after the two teams were asked about the end of the match on the same night," UEFA said.
"The players' need for 48 hours to rest between matches has eliminated other options," he added.
Eriksen fell unconscious and was taken to hospital after he underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the field.
After a long pause, the match continued, and Finland won 1-0 against Denmark.
Denmark coach Casper Jolmand said on Sunday he believed the players should not have returned to the field.
Today, Monday, the Danish Football Association announced that Eriksen, 29, remains stable in hospital.