Italian footballer suffers fatal heart attack on pitch in front of fans in tragic repeat of Fabrice Muamba's collapse



Midfielder Piermario Morosini, 25, fell to the ground mid-way through Italian second division match

Tragedy happened just four weeks after Bolton footballer Fabrice Muamba suffered a heart attack

Italian footballer was conscious as he was taken away in an ambulance

Paramedics delayed taking him to hospital because a POLICE CAR was parked in the way

All Italian fixtures called off last night as a mark of respect





An Italian footballer collapsed on the pitch and died from a heart attack in front of horrified teammates and supporters last night.

Former under 21 international Piermario Morosini, 25, who played for Livorno, was seen to tremble before falling to his knees and then to the ground midway through the first half.

Frantic players from both sides attracted the referee's attention as medics from Livorno rushed onto the pitch to give the player heart massage.

Collapse: Piermario Morosini, 26, is treated by medics on the pitch alst night after collapsing as players and officials watch on in horror

The Italian second division side were leading 2-0 against Pescara when the footballer fell to the ground.

The tragedy happened just four weeks after Bolton Wanderers footballer Patrice Muamba suffered a heart attack during an FA Cup quarter final against Tottenham Hotspur.

Tragedy: Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini in action minutes before he fell to the ground and died in Prescara

Despite his heart stopping for 78 minutes, the footballer is expected to be discharged from the London Chest Hospital within days after making a remarkable recovery.

Yesterday reports suggested paramedics were delayed getting an ambulance onto the pitch to treat Morosini because a police car was parked in the way at Pescara's Adriatica Stadium.

The footballer was later taken away to the town's Santo Spirito hospital after he was seen being put onto a stretcher with an oxygen mask on his face.

The team medic continued to give him heart massage as shocked players and supporters watched on.



It was claimed a police car had blocked the ambulance's entrance to the ground.

Fire chiefs confirmed they had to smash the window and release the handbrake to move it out of the way.

Medics said attempts had been made to revive the player with a defibrillator while fans looked on stunned from the terraces but all attempts were futile.

Television footage showed the footballer's team mates distraught as they were told by Livorno club official Manilo Porcellini that Morosini had died an hour after arriving at hospital.

The footballer, on loan from Serie A side Udinese, never regained consciousness.



Pescara goalkeeper Luca Anania told Italian TV: 'This is a tragedy, believe me, I don't know what to say.

Shock: Livorno's Pasquale Schiattarella, centre, and Pescara's Marco Verratti, right, comfort each other as medics treat Morosini at the Adriatico Stadium last night

Tragedy: Medics assist Morosini as he lies on the turf (centre). However, he could not be saved and was later pronounced dead

Shock: Players react as paramedics work on Morosini. Despite attempts to revive the player, on loan from Udinese, he never recovered

'There was such a great deal of confusion and I heard there was also a slight delay in getting the ambulance onto the pitch as its path was blocked by another vehicle.

'Some of my team mates helped carry the stretcher from the ambulance onto the pitch.'

Livorno's president Aldo Spinelli said: 'We are all in pieces. This is a tough moment for all of us but we need to try and come out of it together.

Football star: Piermario Morosini, right, battles for the ball during an Italian league match last month. He died last night after collapsing on the pitch

'We all need to have courage but at the moment things are all very confusing. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do to control destiny,' adding that Morosini had also lost his parents and his brother when he was a youngster.

Edoardo De Blasio, cardiologist at the Santo Spirito, confirmed that Morosini had died from a heart attack while another hospital official Leonado Paloscia, tried to down play the delay saying that 'thirty seconds here or there would not have made any difference.'

Italian FA chiefs immediately called off all fixtures due to be played as a mark of respect while local prosecutor Valentina D'Agostino was also called into investigate the circumstances of the tragedy.

Respect: AC Milan's match against Genoa at the San Siro in Milan was called off last night after the death of Morosini. The Italian soccer federation has called off all league games this weekend