Scary moments! Handball referee collapses during match
Veszprém (Hungary) - When sport becomes a minor matter! The handball groupmatch of the EHF Champions League between Hungary's top team One Veszprém HC and the Portuguese club Sporting CP was overshadowed by a dramatic incident yesterday evening.
Shortly before the end of the first half, Danish referee Jesper Madsen (39) suddenly collapsed on the floor of the 28-time Hungarian champions' arena, which was packed with 5022 spectators.
During an attack by the Portuguese side from Lisbon in the 29th minute of the match, the 39-year-old suddenly fell over through no fault of his own and remained motionless.
Professionals from both teams rushed to the referee's aid, waving frantically in the direction of the bench - and calling for medical assistance.
Anxious minutes passed before the referee was taken off the pitch on a stretcher after a lengthy treatment break to the applause of the crowd.
According to several media reports, his health is now stable again.
Handball referee Jesper Madsen in stable condition after collapse
The game was restarted after the shock moment - under the direction of his assistant Mads Hansen (47).
"I was in contact with him during the break, when the doctor and the Veszprém staff were around him and did a lot of different examinations - cardiogram and so on - and there was actually nothing that indicated any serious problems," Hansen revealed in an interview with"TV 2 Sport" after Veszprém's 33:32 thriller home win.
"So I got in touch with him after the game here, where he is in hospital, not because anyone expects anything serious to be wrong, but rather to check that everything is OK," he continued.