Luton Town vs Bournemouth has been abandoned until further notice after the former’s skipper Tom Lockyer collapsed on the field during the 59th minute in the Premier League (PL).
The 29-year-old fell to his knees with no one around him and the on-field players immediately rushed to see if the player was responsive or not.
"The Premier League match between Bournemouth and Luton has been abandoned due to a player medical incident. Our thoughts are with Tom Lockyer and all players involved in today’s match," Premier League said in a brief statement.
The player got the required medical attention and was taken off the field after some time with the entire stadium giving a standing ovation to him.
Lockyer had a heart condition and underwent an operation to fix his irregular heartbeats. There were speculations that the Welsh footballer may never play football again but he was declared fit by the doctors and signed a contract extension with Luton Town.
As per the latest development, Bournemouth’s team doctor has confirmed that Lockyer was ‘alert and responsive’ in the tunnel but will now be taken to hospital.
Lockyer talked about his heart problems in the summer while talking to BBC where he confirmed that he has been given a yes by the doctors.
“I’ve had the operation to fix it and it shouldn’t happen again,” Lockyer told BBC. “There’s not really any reason to say why that happened. I’ve been given the all-clear – it is what it is and I just want to draw a line under it now and move on.”
“I’ve had my full heart checked and double-checked with all the scans and tests they can do on a heart, and they’ve all come back positive.”
It must be noted that in November, Ghana international footballer Raphael Dwamena passed away at the age of 28 after collapsing on the field during a match.
Dwamena was playing in Albania's top division match between KF Egnatia and Partizani and collapsed during the 24th minute. The match referee and the on-field players rushed to the aid of the 28-year-old and an ambulance was brought onto the pitch but the player couldn't survive.
The 28-year-old has had a history of heart problems, it was first diagnosed in 2017. In 2021, he was advised to retire from professional football but the striker ignored the calls and eventually passed away while playing the game he loved.
