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Did Denmark,Finland players agree to restart after Eriksen collapse? Peter Schmeichel slams UEFA

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 6/15/2021 11:45:26 AM

New Delhi, June 14 Former Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel slammed the European football body over the decision to restart Euro 2020 Group B game between the Danish side and Finland a while after midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the pitch. Eriksen was administered CPR after he fell face-first on the pitch towards the end of the first half of the Group B match in Copenhagen on Saturday. The Inter Milan star's collapse looked scary with fans and fellow players reduced to tears after the incident. However, Eriksen was hospitalised and stabilised moments after he collapsed. After the news emerged that Eriksen was stable at the hospital, the Group B match resumed later in the day with Finland going to clinch an upset 1-0 win over Denmark. The UEFA, in a statement, said the players from both the sides had asked the governing body to complete the fixture on the same day. It was also reported in local media that Eriksen was in a video call with his Denmark teammates and urged them to resume the fixture. However, Peter Schmeichel said UEFA had threatened Denmark with a 3-0 forfiet had they not agreed to resume the game either on Saturday or Sunday. "I actually saw an official quote from UEFA yesterday saying that they were following the advice of the player, the players insisted on playing - I know that not to be the truth. Or, it's how you see the truth," he told Good Morning Britain. "They were left with three options, one was to play immediately and get the last 50 minutes played. The next one was to come in yesterday at 12 noon and finish the 50 minutes and the third option was to forfeit the game, 3-0. "So, work it out for yourself. Is it the players' wish to play? Did they have any choice really? I don't think they had," Peter said. Notably, Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand also expressed concerns about players getting back on the field after what had happened to their teammate. Meanwhile, Kasper Schmeichel said the UEFA probably made the decision in the heat of the moment and should have taken a day before taking a call. "I think it would probably have been a wise decision to maybe change the rules or the regulations in extraordinary circumstances and maybe take a breath and then reconvene the day after and make a decision on how to go forward," he said.