Tom Lockyer of Luton Town during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Luton Town at Villa Park on October 29, 2023 in Birmingham, England.
Eddie Keogh/Getty Images
An English soccer player is recovering after suffering a cardiac arrest and collapsing during a match over the weekend.
Luton Town Football Club said captain Tom Lockyer was responsive by the time he was taken off the field in a stretcher Saturday and transferred to a hospital.
The match against AFC Bournemouth in Bournemouth, a coastal town about 100 miles southwest of London, was called off.
“Tom is still undergoing tests and scans, and is awaiting the results before the next steps for his recovery are determined,” Luton Town said in a statement Sunday morning.
Earlier, the club apologized to fans and thanked supporters for “the wonderful applause and singing of Locks’ name inside the stadium at such a difficult time.”
AFC Bournemouth said in a tweet that it was “relieved” to hear that Lockyer was responsive after the incident.
“Our thoughts will continue to be with Tom and his family at this time,” the club said. “We’d like to thank all the medical staff for their quick action as well as everyone inside the stadium for their support and unity during a difficult moment.”
It’s not the first time the 29-year-old defender has had a medical emergency on the pitch.
Lockyer told Sky Sports that he collapsed during a game in May due to an irregular heartbeat — also known as an atrial flutter — but that he was given the “all-clear” to play again about a week later.
He said at the time that it was the “least severe heart condition you could have” and that he had a procedure to correct it.
