Peter Schmeichel: 'Ridiculous decision' to play on after Eriksen emergency

Danish legend Peter Schmeichel slammed UEFA for lacking compassion when it allowed Denmark’s Euro 2020 meeting with Finland to continue after Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch.

Eriksen, 29, remains in stable condition following his medical emergency late in the first half of Saturday’s match, the Danish Football Federation said Sunday. The playmaker was given CPR and treated on the pitch for around 10 minutes before being taken to a Copenhagen hospital.

Many of Denmark’s players were extremely emotional as the scenes unfolded – including Schmeichel’s son, Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper – but the game eventually resumed due to a request “made by players of both teams,” according to UEFA.

“It’s a ridiculous decision by UEFA. They should have tried to work out a different scenario and shown a little bit of compassion, and they didn’t,” Schmeichel said, per BBC Sport.

UEFA gave the players two options: to finish the fixture later on Saturday or to complete it Sunday, BBC Sport reports. After learning that Eriksen was conscious in hospital, both teams opted for the former option in a collective meeting.

“That would be the worst two hours in my time in football,” Schmeichel, a Euro 1992 winner with Denmark, continued.

“Something terrible like that happens and UEFA gives the players an option to go out and play the game or come back at 12:00 on Sunday. What kind of option is that? The result of the game is completely irrelevant. I mean, how can you play?”

The incident was followed by numerous tributes across the game. Eriksen’s Inter Milan teammate Romelu Lukaku and his former Tottenham Hotspur colleague Heung-Min Son both expressed their love for the midfielder during their goal celebrations while on duty with Belgium and South Korea, respectively. Fans of Denmark and Finland chanted Eriksen’s name at Parken Stadium before the match restarted.

Finland went on to win the group-stage affair, 1-0.