Livorno's Morosini dies after collapsing on pitch - All Serie A & B games postponed

[King Binny]

Italy Under 21 and Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini has died in hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during his team's Serie B match at Pescara.

The 25-year-old collapsed in the 31st minute and received treatment on the pitch - reportedly including a heart massage in a bid to resuscitate him - before being rushed to hospital.

The match was abandoned and the players left the field in tears.

Lega Serie B then confirmed on their website: 'Tragedy on the field. After suffering a cardiac arrest during the match between Pescara and Livorno, Piermario Morosini has died.

'The 25-year-old player, who came through the youth ranks with Atalanta, arrived at Livorno from Udinese in January and played nine times for the Amaranto.

Speaking in the aftermath of the match, escara's general manager, Danilo Iannascoli, said: 'He looked at me in the eyes when he was taken into the ambulance. We are living through a drama.'

Italian media said a car belonging to traffic police blocked the ambulance's way into the stadium and a window had to be broken so the car could be moved.

'I don't know if the ambulance was late, but I know that the entrance onto the pitch was blocked by a vehicle,' Iannascoli said. 'Morosini collapsed, he tried to get back up but then collapsed again.'

Later it was announced that all matches in Italy's top two divisions had been postponed.

*Fabio edit* Video of the incident is in the spoiler tag

Spoiler

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBOhkNnMelc

R.I.P.

 

[Fabio]

Saw this. Yes i didn't know the player existed, but it is awful.

 

[Gary25]

🙁 Terrible news. R.I.P

 

[Modo]

Rip

 

[King Binny]

Piermario Morosini “suffered three cardiac arrests in quick succession,” but there are reports of delays in getting the ambulance on to the pitch.

Italian football has been suspended this afternoon after 25-year-old Livorno midfielder Morosini collapsed 31 minutes into the Serie B game with Pescara.

“Unfortunately, they tell me he had suffered three cardiac arrests in quick succession,” explained Pescara President Daniele Sebastiani on TMW.

“I am without words. It is a tragedy, you cannot die at this age on a football field.”

There is now controversy and accusations, as there was a delay of at least six minutes in getting the ambulance on to the pitch at the Stadio Adriatico.

It is reported a traffic police car was parked across the emergency entrance, preventing the ambulance from coming through.

There were images of Livorno players rushing through to practically drag the stretcher towards Morosini. It is also not clear whether a defibrillator was present in the arena, but medics were applying CPR.

The tragedy occurred in Pescara, who lost goalkeeping Coach Francesco Mancini only two weeks ago to a heart attack at the age of 43.

Morosini had a tragic family history, as he lost his mother Camilla in 2001, when he was aged 15, and his father Aldo died two years later.

Soon after, his brother was also killed in an accident. The only remaining family member is an older sister.

He made his Serie A debut for Udinese against Inter and made five appearances, then was sent out on loan to Bologna and Vicenza.

He grew up in the prestigious Atalanta youth system and was an Under-17 and Under-21 Italian international.

 

[Modo]

It's tragic when they start playing the blame game, especially when a young man just died.
Shoulda, woulda, coulda...it's too late now.

 

[Fabio]

Jesus christ thats tragic and disgusting if the ambulance was delayed

 

[Bradley]

Horrible, seems like the family is cursed.

RIP.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

RIP

 

[krissr]

RIP

 

[Fabio]

EVERYONES COMING BACK!!!

HI KRISSR!!!

 

[hmmmmm1]

rip

 

[Athens]

Sad news.

RIP.

 

[Sunny]

Sad news, RIP

 

[gkmacca]

Very sad news. (Alan Davies is going to be fuming.)

 

[jimmy]

Tragic news.
RIP.

 

[krissr]

EVERYONES COMING BACK!!!

HI KRISSR!!!

Hi Mark

 

[King Binny]

Edy Reja feels it was “the right decision” to suspend all football in Italy this weekend after the death of Piermario Morosini, but defended heart screening programmes.

The FIGC announced that all games would be postponed after Morosini collapsed and died during the Pescara-Livorno Serie B match on Saturday afternoon.

“With what spirit would we have played? It was the right decision to stop the games,” said Lazio Coach Reja.

“I did not personally know Morosini, but when I was at Napoli we had scouted him out with the directors for his great qualities. He had real promise.

“This is a tragedy, especially as in the space of a few years he had lost both parents and a brother. I struggle to find the words.”

Morosini’s death has prompted many to call for new even stricter testing of players, even though Italy already has the toughest screening programme in Europe.

“The players are monitored every four or five months and have ECG stress tests. These things can happen and you can’t argue with destiny,” insisted Reja.

Palermo President Maurizio Zamparini has criticised the decision to suspend all football in Italy this weekend after the death of Piermario Morosini.

The FIGC ordered an immediate halt to all matches after the 25-year-old Livorno midfielder collapsed during a Serie B game in Pescara.

“I have always been against this sort of decision, but it is also true that whenever a tragedy happens in Italy everything is halted. Therefore it is only normal they’d do the same this time,” Zamparini told Sky Sport Italia.

“The way I see it, a more logical decision would’ve been to continue playing in order to honour his memory rather than stop altogether.”

Morosini’s death was also marked in Spain, where La Liga teams including Barcelona and Real Madrid held a minute’s reflection before kick-off and wore black armbands.

Domenico Criscito mourns Piermario Morosini from St Petersburg. “We were roommates and he was like a brother for me.”

The 25-year-old Udinese-owned midfielder collapsed and died during Saturday’s Pescara-Livorno Serie B game.

“It is sad to be here talking about his death,” Zenit defender Criscito told Sky Sport Italia.

“We were roommates in the Under-17 Italy squad and from that moment on he was like a brother for me.

“He was such a great guy and a very talented midfield director, as he dictated the tempo and played much like Andrea Pirlo.”

As a sign of mourning, the FIGC has suspended all football in Italy this weekend, so there will be no Serie A matches.

“It was the right decision and the FIGC behaved in an exemplary fashion,” added Criscito. “It’s a shame I cannot come to Italy for the funeral.”

Minister for Sport Piero Gnudi has urged “everything possible to guarantee accurate and frequent medical tests” for athletes.

The issue was raised after 25-year-old Piermario Morosini died during Saturday’s Pescara-Livorno Serie B match.

“First of all, I want to express my sorrow for the death of young Piermario Morosini and offer condolences to his family and friends.

“It is always difficult to accept the death of a young man of only 25, especially during a context of enjoyment and sport.

“The recent repetition of dramatic incidents like this must also force us to work on doing everything possible to guarantee accurate and frequent medical tests so that we may limit in every way the chance of it happening again.”

Fabrice Muamba survived a similar cardiac event during Tottenham-Bolton last month, while Antonio Cassano underwent surgery for a congenital heart defect after he suffered a stroke on the flight to Milan.

Italian sport already has strict screening programmes for cardiac problems, but there are now fears even they do not go far enough.

 

[King Binny]

Doctors who rushed to Piermario Morosini’s aid on the pitch claim the presence of a defibrillator “could not have saved him.”

The 25-year-old collapsed during today’s Pescara-Livorno Serie B match and was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

Some reports suggest the cause of death may have been an aneurysm, but even more are discussing the delay in getting treatment. A traffic police car was parked in the wrong place, blocking off the ambulance’s entrance to the pitch area, so Pescara and Livorno players were seen forcibly pulling the stretcher through.

“When there is a cardiac arrest, which is what Morosini was having, for at least the first couple of minutes you must do CPR. Then, if there are electrical signs, the defibrillator comes into action,” explained Pescara chief medic Ernesto Sabatini.

“The defibrillator could not be used because it automatically detects electrical impulses. If there are none, then the machine does not activate.

“For a moment the boy had been revived, but in the ambulance the crew continued trying without success. When he arrived at the hospital, the first thing they did was introduce a pacemaker to give electrical impulses back to the heart.”

The chief cardiologist of the Pescara hospital was in the stands of the match as a fan and rushed down to help the initial treatment.

“When I reached the field, Morosini was in a cardiac and respiratory arrest,” said Professor Paloscia.

“We gave a cardiac massage for an hour and a half, first manually and then with various instruments, but there was nothing to be done.

“We cannot yet say whether the cause of death was cerebral or cardiac, as this can only be confirmed via an autopsy.”

There have been many recent cases of cardiac arrests on the pitch, including Cameroon international Marc Vivien Foe during the Confederations Cup in June 2003, Sao Caetano defender Serginho in 2004, Sevilla player Antonio Puerta in August 2007 and Espanyol captain Daniel Jarque in 2009.

Fabrice Muamba collapsed during the Tottenham-Bolton match last month, but was revived by medical staff and is on the road to recovery.

Livorno President Aldo Spinelli and Lecce Coach Serse Cosmi both felt it was “destiny” that took Piermario Morosini.

The 25-year-old midfielder collapsed during today’s Pescara-Livorno Serie B match and was dead on arrival at the hospital. It is currently not clear whether the cause was a heart attack or aneurysm.

“We are all shaken to the core,” said Spinelli, whose squad was at the hospital when news came through he had not been revived.

“It is such a tough moment for us and we must try to come out of it together. We must find courage, but right now everyone is in a haze of confusion. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done against destiny.”

Morosini had a tragic life blighted by losing both parents at a young age, then recently his little brother committed suicide, while other family members have handicaps.

“Life forced him to confront things that were larger than him,” said Lecce Coach Cosmi, who gave Morosini his Serie A debut for Udinese against Inter on October 23 2005.

“Destiny took him to be reunited with his family, this poor tragic family that had no luck at all. The only positive thing I can think of is that he might now be happy to be with them again.”

The midfielder grew up in the Atalanta youth academy and was an Under-21 Italy international.

“I was his roommate for two years and he was a fantastic person,” explained Atalanta defender Cristian Raimondi.

“I am not surprised by all the kind things people have said about him, as nobody could have a bad word about him. He had so many sad moments in his life, but never let you see them affect him.”

Udinese President Giampaolo Pozzo confirms the death of Piermario Morosini was “a terrible shock, as he was with us until January.”

The midfielder was on loan at Livorno when he suffered a cardiac arrest during today’s Serie B game in Pescara.

As a sign of mourning, all Serie A, B and Lega Pro games have been called off this weekend, including tonight’s planned Udinese-Inter.

“This is one of the saddest days of my career. I learned through television that Morosini had been taken ill during the game, but did not realise it was so serious. Only an hour and a half later did we get news from the hospital that he had died,” said Pozzo in a press conference.

“It was a terrible shock. The lad had been here for about six years since we took him from the Atalanta youth system. I remember he was always a good boy, professional and serious. He had pre-season training with us, then went out on various loan spells and this year he was here until January until joining Livorno on loan.

“The news has left us shocked. When the team and Coach found out, they all made it clear they could not play. The directors of the FIGC made their own decision autonomously just 10 minutes later and it is to their credit that they took this step.

“The day is so sad and difficult that nobody would’ve had the strength to take part in this game for Udinese.

“It was the right decision and not an easy one to make so quickly. The state of mind of the team was in no way ready to step on to the field. I have heard that Inter said the same and they should be honoured for so quickly taking that step. It shows there is great humanity in sport.

“There is pain for this young man who suffered this terrible tragedy. We all cared about him and our memories are of a good, polite, diligent and very professional boy. Everyone cared about him. Losing him is such a trauma that nobody could think about football today.

“He was an integral part of the locker room until January, so was one of our players, as he only left a few months ago. He never caused any controversy, was always nice and polite to everybody.”

Pozzo was asked whether the number of these incidents in recent months, including Fabrice Muamba’s collapse during Tottenham-Bolton, meant more had to be done in screening players for heart problems.

“The prevention we put into the health and safety of these players, including training, diet and pharmaceuticals, was unable to stop it. I can only imagine it is a tragic coincidence and nothing more can be done to prevent it.”

 

[King Binny]

 

[King Binny]

 

[King Binny]

The agent of Piermario Morosini told of his tragic life and death. “He just wanted a little happiness, but yesterday he was told it wasn’t possible.”

The 25-year-old midfielder collapsed during the Pescara-Livorno Serie B match. He had lost both parents before turning 18 and his brother committed suicide.

“He was a young man who suffered so much and just wanted a little happiness, but yesterday he was told it wasn’t possible,” said agent Ernesto Randazzo.

“Such a polite and very sweet person who always spoke quietly, but at the same time knew how to make sure he was respected. He was a special person.”

It is still not clear whether the cause of death was a heart attack or an aneurysm, but the representative confirms scans showed nothing unusual.

“There were no precedents, no injuries in training and he wasn’t even a player who easily picked up knocks. He was in great shape and, seeing as his career was a little inconsistent, he worked hard to improve.”

Meanwhile, former Udinese teammate Emanuele Belardi spoke of his time with Morosini.

“He was like my little brother. He even spent six months living at my house. We kept each other company, because we were alone in Udine with our girlfriends far away and he also had a difficult family situation.

“I can’t think it has finished like this. It’s an absolute tragedy. He never had problems, was very healthy and played between Serie A and B for 10 years.

“Piermario was the most clean-cut boy I ever met, a really wonderful person. I feel like quitting the sport now. I don’t know how I can get over this. I was on the pitch and went back into the locker room when I saw my phone was full of messages.”

Udinese have confirmed they will look after Piermario Morosini’s sister, who relied on the player for financial and emotional support.

Morosini was under contract with Udinese and on loan at Livorno when he died during Saturday’s Serie B game with Pescara.

The 25-year-old had a very difficult life, as he lost both his parents before turning 18 and his disabled brother committed suicide.

The only remaining family member is his sister, who is also gravely ill and relied upon him for financial support.

Udinese and captain Antonio Di Natale have now confirmed they will ensure Morosini’s sister is looked after.

“He was an exceptional lad, so full of life. Despite all the problems he had, he was always at the disposal of the team and every day gave us all strength,” said Di Natale.

“I lost my mother four years ago and, as he had already been through this, he was very close to me. Watching the images on television was shocking. He wanted to get back up, but fell again. When seeing that, all you can do is pray the Lord will give you a hand.

“He wanted so much to live and find success, for himself, for the family he no longer had and his sister. I immediately said we could not play last night, as it wasn’t right. I compliment Inter and the FIGC for making that decision, as on a day like this football becomes impossible.”

Livorno and his girlfriend Anna released a statement thanking “all those who in these hours of pain have been close to us in their memories of a great athlete and a special person.”

 

[LeTallecWiz]

What a tragic life this kid had ... and props to Udinese for taking care of his sister - This is so sad.

 

[King Binny]

Livorno have announced that the No 25 jersey will be withdrawn from use following the death of Pierpaolo Morosini.

The midfielder tragically collapsed and died of a heart-attack during Saturday’s Serie B game against Pescara.

The retiring of the Italian’s shirt number was expected and has now been confirmed by the Amaranto.

“AS Livorno Calcio communicate that the ‘25’ will be retired forever from our official numbering to honour the memory of Piermario Morosini,” read a brief statement.

Vicenza, who Morosini also played for, have taken the same step with their No 25 shirt.

 

[King Binny]

A policeman responsible for delaying the ambulance after Livorno's Piermario Morosini suffered cardiac arrest on the pitch during a Serie B match at Pescara has been automatically suspended pending an internal investigation.

Morosini, 25, who was on loan from Serie A side Udinese, collapsed in the 31st minute of Saturday's match.

An ambulance was immediately called for but a parked car belonging to traffic police initially blocked its path to the stadium, creating a delay. A window had to be broken so the car could be moved.

The midfielder was prounced dead at the hospital and all matches in Italy over the weekend were called off in memory of Morosini.

An inquiry into the player's death has been opened.

"There has been an admission of responsibility from the traffic policeman that on Saturday he parked his car in the stadium, thus blocking for a few minutes the entrance of the ambulance to the pitch," Luigi Albore Mascia, mayor of Pescara, told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"It is a superficial and unforgettable act that is serious.

"But, if the medical assistance was considered timely as I believe it was, then it is wrong to place direct responsibility on the traffic policeman regarding the death of the unfortunate player."

Livorno, meanwhile, have announced that the No 25 shirt will be retired following the death of Morosini.

A statement from Livorno read: "AS Livorno Calcio announces that the '25' will be retired forever from our official numbering to honour the memory of Piermario Morosini."

Livorno have also requested that media outlets stop broadcasting images of the incident.

"In the name of Morosini's family, Livorno kindly asks all national and international media to stop showing the video images and photographs of the time when Piermario collapsed on the pitch and of its aftermath during the game between Pescara v Livorno of 14th April, 2012."

A post-mortem examination is being carried out today in Pescara to ascertain whether Morosini's cause of death was brain or heart related.

However, the results of the autopsy may not be made public until June.

Morosini's funeral is expected to take place in his home city of Bergamo on Thursday.

Livorno players returned to training today for the first time since the tragedy.