Sports

Sunderland AFC fan collapsed at Wembley in CPR campaign match

The Sunderland supporter collapsed in the crowd shortly after the Black Cats equalised against Sheffield United during Saturday’s (May 24) EFL play-off final at Wembley.

Paramedics attended and he was taken to hospital in London.

It came just minutes after a CPR demonstration by ex-footballer Vinnie Jones in front of the 82,000 fans during half time, and the match kicked off at 3.01pm instead of the traditional 3pm time as part of the Every Minute Matters CPR campaign.

Sunderland fans at Wembley on Saturday (May 24) to watch their side secure a 2-1 win over Sheffield United and return to the Premier League. (Image: PA) A Wembley Stadium spokesperson said: “During the second half of play on Saturday (May 24), there was a medical incident involving a guest on level 5 to which our medical team responded immediately.

“The guest was treated at the scene and moved away from the area safely, before being sent to hospital for further checks via the stadium’s emergency ambulance.”

Regis Le Bris’ side went on to win 2-1 with a last-minute goal securing a place in the Premier League for the first time in eight years.

It is understood an off-duty nurse was one of the fans to intervene with life-saving chest compressions.

Speaking before the game to Sky Sports Tom Lockyer, former Luton Town captain who collapsed during a Premier League game against Bournemouth in December 2023 and was saved by CPR, said: “In the course of this game there’ll be five cardiac arrests in the UK”.

Tom Lockyer on the pitch at Wembley in the half-time demonstration. (Image: PA) “I was just one of the more than 30,000 people who suffer an out of hospital cardiac arrest every year in the UK. I am lucky to be alive today, but the reality is that less than 1 in 10 people usually survive, which is why it’s vital that we continue to raise awareness,” he added previously.

The Every Minute Matters campaign saw all three play-off games over the bank holiday weekend kick off a minute late. Launched last year between the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and EFL it hopes to encourage 360,000 people – as many as it would take to fill Wembley four times – to learn the life-saving technique.

BHF Chief Executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths said: “We are saddened to hear reports that a fan suffered a medical incident at Wembley during the Championship Play-Off Finals and send them our thoughts for a swift recovery.

“As this week marked the culmination of our Every Minute Matters campaign with Sky Bet, we’d once again encourage everyone to spend just 15 minutes learning lifesaving CPR with our free online tool, RevivR.”

Sunderland AFC was contacted for comment.