Glenn Hoddle admitted he could not watch Christian Eriksen’s on-field collapse during Denmark’s opening game against Finland, after he himself suffered a cardiac arrest in 2018.
The former England manager collapsed at the BT Sport studios and was helped immediately by a member of the production crew, who used his first aid training before being admitted to hospital.
England face Denmark in the semi-finals of Euro 2020 at Wembley on Wednesday night as Gareth Southgate’s side look to make history on home soil.
They face a Danish side who have grown in stature in the tournament after their horrific start, when Eriksen collapsed with a cardiac arrest in their opening defeat to Finland in Copenhagen.
“That’s what happened to me (a cardiac arrest). I didn’t watch it and I couldn’t watch it to be honest,” Hoddle admitted to the PA news agency, speaking at a Betfair event.
“I think the staff and everyone, the manager, how they coped and dealt with that was incredible, with what they did in protecting – they were going through hell as well some of those players but they did what they did to protect – and it was wonderful to see.
“And then to have been asked to come back out and to have been asked to play again, that was incredible. I’m so glad that he’s OK.
“I met him (Eriksen) a couple of times just at the training ground (at Tottenham) but I did get his number and I did text him to say ‘if you want to chat about anything’ because I know the road of recovery that he’s going to have to go down. A cardiac arrest it’s much bigger than people think.
“You’ve got three minutes to get someone to get to you for CPR and if you haven’t you’re gone, basically. It’s that important that CPR is given.”
Denmark head coach Kasper Hjulmand said after their quarter-final victory that the Inter Milan midfielder, who is continuing to recover following hospital treatment, will be in their thoughts as they dream of emulating the 1992 European Championship-winning squad.
For Hoddle, he believes what happened to Eriksen has become a wave of emotion for England’s semi-final opponents.
“They’re playing for themselves as well, and their country, but there’s this added emotion. There’s this added natural emotion, you can’t make that up, that is emotion that goes deep as well,” the former England manager said.
“I think if we were playing in Copenhagen in the semi-final I would be concerned, I really would, but I think they (England) are in their own backyard with 60,000 in there now, at Wembley.
“That nullifies that wave of emotion that they (Denmark) are playing on the back of. I think that really does.”
::Betfair is now offering no cash out suspensions on match odds markets at the Euros. Find out more here: https://betting.betfair.com/football/euro-2020/
