Ndicka’s collapse stirs dark memories but rapid response a sign of progress

It was easy to fear the worst when Evan Ndicka fell. The Roma defender was away from the play, with no opponents in his immediate vicinity, as he doubled over and then collapsed with a hand on his chest. Twelve years to the day after another footballer, Piermario Morosini, died after suffering cardiac arrest during a Serie B match, the dread of a possible repeat was immediate and overwhelming.

Daniele De Rossi was one of the first to see what happened, turning and yelling for the medical team. Roma’s goalkeeper, Mile Svilar, and an opponent, the Udinese striker Lorenzo Lucca, were quickest to reach Ndicka and by their gestures confirmed that urgent treatment was required. Others signalled for quiet from the crowd and fans at the Bluenergy Stadium swiftly acquiesced.

Related: European football: Roma’s Ndicka ‘in good spirits’ after collapsing

A defibrillator was brought on but not used. Ndicka gave a thumbs-up as he was carried off on a stretcher, an encouraging sign, but nobody yet knew what had caused his collapse, nor if the danger had passed. The referee, Luca Pairetto, paused the game while De Rossi followed Ndicka down into the changing room.

Eventually, the Roma manager re-emerged, speaking with his Udinese counterpart Gabriele Cioffi as well as Pairetto. The game had been stopped for close to 10 minutes at this point, and all parties agreed they were happy to respect the wishes of Ndicka’s teammates regarding any resumption. De Rossi spoke to his players, who indicated that they were not in the right frame of mind to continue.

Supporters responded respectfully to an announcement that the game would be suspended. There had been jeers when Livorno’s match against Pescara was stopped after Morosini fell in 2012, before fans knew the player had passed away. His death left an indelible mark on Italian football, but the sport has known other high-profile incidents globally since, including the cardiac arrest suffered by Christian Eriksen while playing for Denmark at Euro 2020.

Ndicka does not appear to have suffered the same condition. Initial tests at the stadium were inconclusive, but he was transported to the nearby Santa Maria della Misericordia University Hospital and the news agency Ansa cited medical professionals close to the situation on Sunday night as confirming that Ndicka did not experience a cardiac arrest.

At time of writing, no official diagnosis has been made public. La Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Monday that pulmonary symptoms were the “more probable” cause of Ndicka’s apparent chest pain. He had received a strong elbow to the chest from Lucca late in the first half and been involved in a pair of less violent tussles with opponents shortly before his collapse.

The most important thing is that he recovers fully. Roma published a photo on Sunday evening of Ndicka sitting up in his hospital bed and flexing a bicep. “Evan is feeling better and is in good spirits,” read the club’s social media post, confirming that team-mates had been along to see him. “He will remain in the hospital for further observations. Forza Evan!”

No schedule can yet be confirmed for when Sunday’s match will be completed. It was 1-1 when Ndicka fell, Roberto Pereyra putting Udinese on top in the first half before Romelu Lukaku equalised midway through the second.

The game will be resumed from the 78th minute, when it was paused, rather than replayed in its entirety. Managers are not obliged to use the same 11 who were on the pitch at the time of the interruption (as well as anything, injuries could happen in the meantime) but will only be permitted to call on players who were eligible to feature on Sunday and cannot use anyone who had already been substituted.

Napoli 2-2 Frosinone, Sassuolo 3-3 AC Milan, Inter 2-2 Cagliari, Lecce 1-0 Empoli, Torino 0-0 Juventus, Bologna 0-0 Monza, Lazio 4-1 Salernitana

Serie A’s rules state that a game suspended in this manner should typically be completed the following day, but an exception is made if either team is competing in a midweek round. Roma have the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Milan coming up on Thursday, and travelled back to the capital on Sunday night. The scheduling of the final part of their game with Udinese may be impacted by whether they progress to the semis.

These events have already highlighted a lack of clarity in some regulations. Earlier this month, two Serie D teams – Palmese and Manfredonia – were punished with an assigned defeat and one-point penalty for having their match stopped when a fan was taken seriously ill in the stands.

There does not appear to be any risk of similar judgments in this situation. For those who remember the grim and chaotic circumstances around Morosini’s passing, when stadium workers had to frantically push away a car obstructing the ambulance’s access to the pitch, the clear positives from Sunday were the rapid response of the medical team and the immediate willingness of all parties to respect the participants’ wishes by stopping the game.

Both Roma and Udinese have important targets left to aim for this season. The Giallorossi are fifth in the table and chasing Champions League qualification through the conventional path while also competing to win the Europa League. Udinese, 15th and just one point above the relegation zone, were on course for a valuable draw.

Some things, though, are more important. Ndicka has had an excellent year on a professional level, winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast in February as well as joining Roma last summer and becoming a regular starter under first José Mourinho and now De Rossi. But the happiest moment for many who have enjoyed watching him was simply to see him sitting up and smiling in a bed on Sunday night.