August 23, 2024 7:46pm ET
Uruguay suspended all football activities for the weekend on Friday due to the “precarious health condition of Nacional defender Juan Izquierdo” after he suffered an irregular heartbeat during a Copa Libertadores match against Sao Paulo.
Izquierdo, who was replaced by Sebastián Coates at half-time, fell to the ground unconscious in the 84th minute without making contact with any other player.
The 27-year-old player was taken unconscious from the pitch in an ambulance and is currently being treated in the intensive care unit at Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital.
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“We inform you of the decision to cancel this weekend's planned professional football activities due to the precarious health condition of footballer Juan Izquierdo,” the Uruguayan Professional Footballers' Rights Union (MUFP) said in a statement.
“Juan's welfare remains our top priority at the moment and we will be closely monitoring his condition over the coming hours,” the association added.
Nacional posted on social media that Izquierdo was in a stable condition, remained sedated in the hospital's intensive care unit and “will remain under observation for at least the next 72 hours.”
