The relatives of the person who had a seizure at the Olympic Stadium received immediate support

The Finnish Football Association published a statement regarding a spectator who fell ill at the Olympic Stadium on Tuesday evening.

The men’s World Cup qualifying match between Finland and Poland was interrupted at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Play was interrupted after 72 minutes. The referee stopped the match and told the players to go to the dressing rooms at around the 80th minute. The game continued after midnight, with Finland winning 2–1.

The result of the match was a secondary issue, and everyone’s thoughts were with the person who had the seizure and his family.

The Football Association has now published a statement about the illness.

The release does not provide an update on the condition of the spectator who suffered a seizure. The latest information the association has is that the spectator was taken to the hospital for further treatment.

The Football Association reports on the course of events.

– Support was also available to relatives of the person who had a seizure during resuscitation, the press release says.

Thank you

The association’s head of event operations, Kalle Marttinen, sent his thanks to the security guards, rescue personnel and the Finnish audience at the match.

– The audience’s reaction was empathetic and understanding. In moments like these, community and humanity rise above sports, Marttinen commented.

CPR in the stands took about half an hour, and in addition, safely transferring the spectator to the ambulance took its own time.

The illness was a shock to many, and the Football Association says it has sent ticket buyers information about receiving crisis assistance.

The game continued

The game was decided to continue for ten minutes plus eleven minutes of added time.

– The decision to continue the match was only made when it became clear that the patient would be transferred to the hospital, Marttinen commented.

– After the discussion, the captains of both teams announced that the teams were ready to continue the game, after which the referee, the match delegate appointed by UEFA and I, in the role of match official, confirmed the decision. When a joint decision to continue the match was reached, the delegate reported the matter to the UEFA match center, Marttinen continued.

The incident was also a tough one for the players. For example, Huuhkaji’s Matti Peltola told Iltalehti after the game that his thoughts were elsewhere than football.