Manchester derby becomes latest match halted over crowd emergency
The Premier League clash between Manchester City and Manchester United became the latest high-profile football match to be stopped because of a medical incident in the crowd on Sunday.
Referee Michael Oliver followed protocol by halting play and ordering both sets of players to the side of the pitch during the first half of the showdown at the Etihad Stadium when a supporter had to be attended to.
The game resumed after a brief pause, and the nature of the problem was not immediately clear.
The worrying development is the latest in a long line of similar incidents this season, continuing a trend which had hardly ever been a feature of the sport in previous years.
35' | Man City 2-1 Manchester United📸 There's a medical emergency in the crowd which has suspended the game. pic.twitter.com/NmXZtXpEaZ
— Matchday365 (@Matchday365) March 6, 2022
One of the biggest games on the world stage, on TV, the Manchester derby, and YET ANOTHER medical emergency in the crowd!!
— YNWA 🌸 (@darren_buckler) March 6, 2022
In January, four games in the English Football League had to be stopped on the same afternoon because people had fallen ill in the crowd.
There have been emergencies in games around the world during the current campaign, including a fan in their 20s suffering a cardiac arrest at a home game played by Italian giants Roma.
A number of top players have also needed treatment on the pitch and been forced out of games in what some fans have suggested is a rise in unusual medical problems.
City record scorer and Premier League legend Sergio Aguero was forced to retire months into his career with new club Barcelona after he suffered chest pains and breathing difficulties while playing that led to him being diagnosed with a heart problem.
United and Sweden defender Victor Lindelof was closely monitored when he was substituted in a top-flight match with chest pain.
Leicester and former England midfielder James Maddison was taken after he collapsed unchallenged during a Foxes game in February.
Christian Eriksen, who suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark at Euro 2020, required a pacemaker-style device to be fitted that forced him to leave Inter Milan under Italian rules.
The former Tottenham player of the year has made a remarkable return by playing in new side Brentford's two most recent Premier League games.
Kevin de Bruyne's double either side of a Jadon Sancho strike put City 2-1 up at the break as the current table-toppers looked to extend their lead at the summit to six points.
