Kalu’s collapse during Marseille game ‘just a dizzy spell’, teammates allay fears

Nigeria’s Samuel Kalu collapsed in Bordeaux’s Ligue 1 game against Marseille late Sunday but his teammates have said he was okay.

Kalu collapsed on the pitch on his own just five minutes into the encounter but was allowed to play on after receiving treatment from medical staff.

Concerned team-mates formed a human shield around him, the like of which was seen when Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during Euro 2020.

Kalu, 23, would later continue playing but then removed after eight minutes for precautions.

He did touch the ball again in the match until he was replaced by Oudin.

“According to the doctor, it was just a dizzy spell,” Remy Oudin, who netted Bordeaux’s equaliser as they fought back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw, said.

Read Also: Samuel Kalu certified medically fit to play after collapsing in training

“He is to take more tests and we will know more tomorrow (Monday) during the day.

“It gave us a bit of a chill and it’s still quite shocking.

“We inevitably thought about what happened with (Denmark midfielder Christian) Eriksen, the whole team and everyone was scared.

“We’re happy for Kalu, everything is fine and that’s the most important thing.”

Opposition fans stood up to clap Kalu off at Stade Velodrome when he was leaving the pitch.

Kalu’s international teammate, John Ogu has also said he was fine after he (Ogu) recealed that he had spoken with him and he was now okay.

“Spoke to my brother Samuel Kalu . No worries , he FINE!!!,” the Super Eagles star wrote on Twitter.

Recall that this was not the first time Kalu had collapsed on the football pitch as he was rushed to hospital on the eve of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations opener in Egypt back in 2019.

Kalu collapsed in training on that occasion, due to what was described at the time as ‘severe dehydration’.

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