NDB expands to 11 members, raises $16.1bn in 2024, says Rousseff    Egypt, Somalia leaders discuss strategic partnership, counterterrorism in New Alamein    Egypt, UNDP discuss expanded cooperation on medical waste management, human development    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    EGX closes mixed on July 7th    Gold retreats as investors await tariff clarity    Egypt, UNDP discuss future health projects – Cabinet    Egypt calls for stronger central bank cooperation, local currency use at BRICS summit    Egypt's PM, Uruguay's president discuss Gaza, trade at BRICS summit    Egypt's Talaat Moustafa Group H1 sales jump 59% to EGP 211bn    Egypt, Uruguay eager to expand trade across key sectors    Egypt accelerates coastal protection projects amid rising climate threats    Deadly Israeli airstrikes pound Gaza as Doha talks raise hopes for ceasefire    Egypt, Norway hold informal talks ahead of global plastic treaty negotiations    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    Global tour for Korean 'K-Comics' launches in Cairo with 'Hellbound' exhibition    Egypt teams up with private sector to boost university rankings    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger        Egypt's EHA, Schneider Electric sign MoU on sustainable infrastructure    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's EDA joins high-level Africa-Europe medicines regulatory talks    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Egypt's FM inspects Julius Nyerere Dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Denmark coach steps up UEFA criticism over game resumption
Published in Ahram Online on 15 - 06 - 2021

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand stepped up his criticism of UEFA on Tuesday for not giving his players the option to postpone the game against Finland in the wake of Christian Eriksen's collapse.
Hjulmand said UEFA failed to ``lead with compassion'' and that his players were put ``in a hugely difficult situation'' after the incident on Saturday at the European Championship.
The Euro 2020 game resumed following a suspension of about 90 minutes after Eriksen suffered cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated with a defibrillator.
Denmark was given the option by UEFA to either resume that evening or come back at noon on Sunday. That has led to widespread anger in Denmark and a spat between the team and UEFA about whether the players were pressured into coming back onto the field so soon.
Hjulmand pointed out that newly created coronavirus protocols for Euro 2020 allow UEFA to postpone a game for 48 hours if a certain number of players from one team test positive or have to self isolate.
''The only real leadership would have been to put the players on a bus and send them home. And then deal with it after,'' Hjulmand said. ''With corona cases it's possible to postpone a game for 48 hours. But with cardiac arrest, apparently it's not. And I think that's wrong. You don't necessarily find good leadership in the protocols. Good leadership can sometimes be to lead with compassion.''
UEFA on Monday defended its handling of the situation and has repeatedly said it wasn't possible to postpone the game for longer because Finland is due to play its second group game on Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Russia. Denmark plays Belgium in Group B in Copenhagen on Thursday.
Finland scored after the resumption and won 1-0. Had Denmark refused to play, it would have risked being handed a 3-0 forfeit loss.
``UEFA is sure it treated the matter with utmost respect for the sensitive situation and for the players,'' the governing body of European soccer said. ``It was decided to restart the match only after the two teams requested to finish the game on the same evening.''
However, the insistence from UEFA that it was the Denmark players who requested the resumption on Saturday has rankled both Hjulmand and his players. They insist that it would have been worse to come back Sunday after a sleepless night and that they should have been given a third option.
``It's completely wrong to give the perception that it was we who came and said we wanted to continue playing as our first option. It was a choice between the two scenarios,'' Hjulmand said. ''And then you can argue whether we were put under pressure. I felt that the players _ and us close to them _ were put under that pressure and were given that dilemma. It was a hugely difficult situation to be in.''
Eriksen remains in the hospital and sent his first public message via social media on Tuesday, thanking supporters from around the world for their well-wishes.
Denmark forward Martin Braithwaite said Monday that he and his teammates would have preferred a longer postponement.
''It was not our wish to play,'' Braithwaite said. ``But we were told we had to make a decision. ... There were many players who weren't in a condition to play the match. We were in a completely different place.''
Hjulmand said he's not expecting any kind of compensation from UEFA but is hoping that the governing body learns from the incident.
``Looking back, I don't feel right that we were there (back on the field) after the incident,'' Hjulmand said. ``I think it showed so much strength from the guys, to be able to go out and play. That shows so much character, so much strength, and I'm very proud of that.
``Having said that, I don't think it was the right thing to be given those two choices, play now or tomorrow at 12. . And maybe that's a learning lesson for the future.''
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)


Clic here to read the story from its source.