Fan survives cardiac arrest during football match Cadiz-Barcelona

Last weekend the football match between Cadiz CF and FC Barcelona was stopped prematurely. A fan in the stands suffered a cardiac arrest, the Cadiz goalkeeper Jeremias Ledesma immediately responded and sprinted across the pitch to the rescue, carrying a defibrillator. 

Ten minutes before the end of the match a supporter in the stands suffered a cardiac arrest. This took place behind the goal of the Cadiz keeper.  Goalkeeper Ledesma reacted immediately and sprinted to the side-line to grab the defibrillator and throw it into the stands. Appropriate help was quickly on the scene to assist the fan.

During the fifty-minute interruption, the players were sent to the changing rooms. At that point, football was no longer important.

"We were told then that the man could die," Xavi told. "Of course, we were very worried. I did try to keep the players focused, but that was very difficult. We are talking about a human life and that is of course much more important than a football game."

After the incident, the president of Cadiz stated that the man had suffered a cardiac arrest but was successfully resuscitated using the defibrillator. The supporter was transported to hospital in a stable condition.

A combination of factors ensured that this situation ended well. Football club Cadiz has equipped their stadium well with the right materials which included the AED. Emergency services where quickly on the spot and of course the quick actions of players and the referee were very important.