Ajax player Nouri collapses during football friendly

The Hague (Netherlands) July 9 (IANS) Dutch football club Ajax midfielder Abdelhak Nouri collapsed during a pre-season friendly against Germany s Werder Bremen and was taken to hospital by helicopter.

The match which was played on Saturday in Zillertal Austria was abandoned.

According to a statement by Ajax the 20-year-old midfielder suffered from cardiac arrhythmias. "He is stable now has heart rate and is kept to sleep " the Dutch soccer club was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

The incident happened in the second half of the game. Two ambulances entered the pitch Nouri was treated for around half-an-hour and then taken to hospital by a helicopter.

Nouri played nine Dutch league games for Ajax last season and was part of the Ajax squad that reached the Europa League final last season. As one of the prospects of Dutch football he is a regular in Dutch national youth squads.

--IANS
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