The goalkeeper of the RKC Waalwijk club, Etienne Vaessen, suffered discomfort after a shock during a Dutch championship match against Ajax on Saturday evening, had a “good night”, reassured his club the next day of the incident.
With a few minutes remaining and Ajax Amsterdam leading 3-2, Etienne Vaessen remained on the ground, unconscious according to TV images, after a collision with Ajax striker Brian Brobbey. The match was then stopped and the goalkeeper had to be resuscitated on the pitch. “We can report that our goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen had a good night and is continuing his convalescence,” the club from the south of the Netherlands said in a press release. “For Etienne, it is important for the moment to be able to recover peacefully in the hours and days to come. We would therefore like to ask you to give him and his family time and rest for this,” added the club, which hopes to “see him again soon.”
Several players panicked following the illness, while stewards quickly spread blankets around the goalkeeper who was busy being treated by doctors from both clubs. The players, some in tears, also formed a cordon around Vaessen. The guard was then evacuated on a stretcher. According to the Dutch news agency ANP, he was able to be resuscitated on the ground before being transported to hospital, where tests were carried out.
Chief executive Frank van Mosselveld said in the evening that Vaessen did not appear to suffer from heart problems, Dutch media reported. He stressed that the resuscitation was carried out immediately because the Dutch Football Association KNVB strengthened the protocol following a tragedy in 2017. Former Ajax great hope Abdelhak Nouri had suffered from malaise heart attack during a warm-up match between Ajax Amsterdam and Werder Bremen and has since suffered serious and permanent brain damage.