Danish international footballer Christian Eriksen will not be able to continue his career with Italian Serie A champions Inter Milan with his implanted defibrillator.
“Only if the defibrillator is removed from him and a specialist can show that he is physically well again can he play for Inter Milan again,” Francesco Braconaro, a member of the scientific commission at the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), said on Thursday.
“It is not possible in Italy to issue a match permit for a professional with a defibrillator,” he said.
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Eriksen collapsed on the pitch during the match against Finland at the beginning of the 2020 European Championship in Copenhagen in June and had to be resuscitated.
The 29-year-old was then implanted with a defibrillator that detects cardiac arrhythmias and triggers shocks in an emergency.
His contract with Inter Milan runs until summer 2024.
In Italy, much stricter rules apply in this respect than in other European leagues.
For example, former Dutch international Daley Blind of Ajax Amsterdam plays with a defibrillator.
Meanwhile, new Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi is hoping for a return of his top Danish star.
“He needs time to recover. But of course we will welcome him back with open arms,” Inzaghi said.(dpa/NAN)