Former England star Trevor Sinclair has today been blasted for spreading ‘dangerous nonsense’ after questioning whether a Sheffield United star’s on-pitch collapse was due to the Covid vaccine.
The retired winger, 48, sparked outrage by questioning the vaccine status of Championship star John Fleck – who collapsed during his side’s win over Reading on Tuesday.
Scottish midfielder Fleck, 30, was rushed to hospital following the health scare, but has since been discharged.
At least six professional football players are known to have collapsed on the pitch in the last six months.
The latest, Sherrif Tiraspol star Adama Traore, went down clutching his chest during last night’s Champions League tie with Real Madrid, before being helped off the pitch by medics.
There has been no suggestion that any of the incidents are linked to the Covid vaccine.
But speaking about the incident involving Fleck on radio station TalkSport yesterday, Sinclair asked: ‘I think everyone wants to know if he (Fleck) has had the Covid vaccine.’
Sinclair, who made 12 appearances for England, was cut off as he spoke and TalkSport has since removed his question from their archives.
However the ex-West Ham star later took to Twitter to double down on his line of questioning, adding: ‘Everyone I speak to about these heart problems suffered by footballers (which worryingly seem to be happening more regularly) are they linked to Covid vaccines or not??’.
Sinclair’s comments sparked a huge row on social media, with some accusing the retired footballer of being ‘irresponsible’.
Former England star Trevor Sinclair (pictured) has today been blasted for spreading ‘dangerous nonsense’ after questioning whether a Sheffield United star’s on-pitch collapse was due to the Covid vaccine
The retired footballer, 48, sparked outrage by questioning the vaccine status of Championship star John Fleck – who collapsed during his side’s win over Reading on Tuesday. Sinclair (right) was appearing on TalkSport at the time with Jim White (centre) and Simon Jordan (left)
The retired footballer, 48, sparked outrage by questioning the vaccine status of Championship star John Fleck – who collapsed during his side’s win over Reading on Tuesday. Fleck (pictured), 30, was rushed to hospital following the health scare, but has since been discharged.
One person commenting wrote: ‘Absolutely nothing has been proven or confirmed that it is anything to do with the vaccine or that they’ve even had the vaccine. Very very dangerous posting this with no proof.’
Another wrote: ‘Delete this, Trev. Dangerous nonsense.’
Replying to his Tweet, BBC Match of the Day commentator Steve Wilson wrote: ‘It’s more likely to be a consequence of having had Covid, Trev.
‘But it’s far, far, far (x thousands) more likely to have nothing at all to do with either covid or the vaccine.
‘Indeed, there is no research that I know of to suggest that heart issues are happening more regularly.
‘“Cases tend to be clinically mild”. Cases of covid in the unvaccinated have proved to be clinically lethal in millions of individuals.
‘Happy to be 2x jabbed and boosted thanks. Good luck to you. You may need it.’
But others supported his comments, with Essex pub landlord Adam Brooks writing: ‘The question has to be asked, we’ve seen more and more elite sports people with problems.
‘Unfortunately you’ll get labelled for even asking the question mate. What ever happened to transparency?’
Fleck was released from hospital yesterday after collapsing during his side’s win at Reading on Tuesday.
The Scotland international fell to the ground unchallenged during the second half of the Championship fixture and was treated on the pitch for around 10 minutes.
He was helped back to his feet and then taken via ambulance to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.
Earlier this year Sheffield United players such as Ben Osborn and Billy Sharp were pictured getting their Covid vaccines.
It is not clear whether Fleck has been vaccinated and MailOnline has contacted the club to check.
Fleck’s collapse came is believed to be the fifth incident of a professional football player collapsing on a football pitch since the summer, with a six incident taking place last night
Sherrif Tiraspol witnessed disturbing scenes when winger Adama Traore went down clutching his chest in Wednesday night’s clash with Real Madrid.
The Mali attacker committed to a 50/50 challenge on the touchline with Real Madrid’s Nacho Fernandez and when the ball went out of play Traore appeared under duress.
Traore, 26, turned to walk away from the ball, which had gone out for a throw-in, in the 77th minute when he immediately became uncomfortable, clutching his chest before slumping to the turf.
He remained breathing throughout but after a few seconds of lying on the ground in distress the Moldovan side’s medics raced on to help.
Medics immediately looked to use smelling salts to activate his senses but he was not reacting strongly too them.
He was seen shaking his head in responses to questions by the medics and was eventually raised to a sitting position before being helped off the field and back to the dressing room.
The Moldovan side have yet to detail the reasons behind why Traore was suffering from chest pains. Again it is not clear if he has been vaccinated.
It comes after Man City legend and current Barcelona star Sergio Aguero was diagnosed with cardiac arrhythmia – an irregular heartbeat – after he was forced off with chest pains in their 1-1 draw against Alaves.
The Catalan giants have since ruled the 33-year-old Argentine out of action for the three months as a period of rest once extensive medical tests had been carried out.
It is not clear if Aguero has been vaccinated. Earlier this year he tested positive of Covid-19.
Earlier this month Icelandic midfielder Emil Pálsson suffered a cardiac arrest during a game in Norway’s second division.
The 28-year-old Sogndal player suffered the attack as the game against Stjordals-Blink entered the 12th minute, his club said in a statement. He is currently recovering.
Ghanian striker Raphael Dwamena also collapsed due to heart complications in an Austrian Cup match in October.
The former Brighton target, 26, collapsed during the first half of Blau-Weiss Linz’s game against Harterg.
Dwamena, who had already suffered heart issues, was saved by an implanted defibrillator he had fitted back in 2020.
The incident came after the most high-profile incident at Euro 2020, when Denmark midfielder collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch.
The 29-year-old star has recovered from the incident, but last month it was confirmed he will not be able to play in Italy this season due to his health.
It has since been confirmed that the star had not had Covid and he had not been vaccinated at the time of his collapse.
Adama Traore of Sherrif Tiraspol went down clutching his chest in the Champions League
Sergio Aguero had to be substituted last month after suffering with breathing problems
At Euro 2020 in the summer Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest
Scientists believe there is a link between two minor heart conditions and the Covid-19 vaccine – but they say the risk is minuscule.
From analysis of UK and international data, there has been a signal of an increase of cases of myocarditis and pericarditis following vaccination with both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle, while pericarditis is inflammation of the lining around your heart.
Symptoms include the onset of chest pain, shortness of breath or feelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering, or pounding heart.
The Government urge anyone who develops these symptoms within 2 weeks of a COVID-19 vaccination should urgently seek medical assistance.
Most individuals respond well to standard treatment and recover quickly, Public Health England says.
The link between the Covid jabs and these two conditions, according to data, is strongest in younger men, and the median onset is within three days of vaccination.
But the risk is incredibly small, according to the data. In the US 296 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine had been given by 11 June with 1,226 reports of myocarditis after vaccination.
And in the UK, up to July 2021, there were 149 reports of myocarditis and 129 reports of pericarditis following use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, 82 reports of myocarditis and 140 reports of pericarditis following use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and 25 reports of myocarditis and 22 reports of pericarditis following use of the Moderna vaccine.
This means the overall rates after both the first and second doses of Pfizer/BioNTech are 4.3 myocarditis cases per million doses and 3.8 pericarditis cases per million doses, for the rate is 1.7 myocarditis cases per million doses and 3.0 pericarditis cases per million doses, and for Moderna the rate is 14.7 myocarditis cases per million doses and 13.0 pericarditis cases per million doses.
MailOnline has contacted TalkSport and representatives of Trevor Sinclair for comment.
SPECIAL REPORT: Naivety over cardiac arrest means footballers WILL die: Clubs ignore doctors’ advice over potentially fatal conditions, top teams do not perform every test and one in 260 players has a life-threatening heart issue
By Daniel Matthews and David Coverdale for the Daily Mail
Sergio Aguero had been waiting since he was 14. ‘One day Barcelona will surely notice me,’ he would say. Almost two decades on the call came and last month Aguero opened his Barca account in El Clasico against Real Madrid.
It wasn’t supposed to be his final bow. Six days later, however, the striker suffered chest pains against Alaves. Now, after being diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, Aguero’s career looks to be over at the age of 33.
It comes five months after the harrowing collapse of Christian Eriksen and only three weeks since Icelandic midfielder Emil Palsson required resuscitation. Both suffered cardiac arrests on the pitch.
Over here, Shrewsbury striker Ryan Bowman is back in the goals after palpitations against Ipswich last month.
His heart was racing at 250 beats a minute and doctors had to shock his cardiac system back to normal.
Others never get that second chance. In September, 17-year-old Dylan Rich died after a suspected cardiac arrest during an FA Youth Cup game in Nottinghamshire.
The Barcelona striker was treated by medical staff but managed to leave the pitch unaided
So is enough being done to prevent tragedy from striking again on a pitch? Sportsmail has spoken to a number of relatives, experts and campaigners. Today, they warn:
- More lives will be lost unnecessarily because of football’s naivety around cardiac arrest.
- Friction exists between clubs and doctors over whether players with potentially fatal conditions should retire, with medical advice often ignored.
- Top teams do not perform every test available, even though elite athletes’ hearts are at an increased risk.
Research published in 2018 found the risk of elite footballers suffering sudden cardiac death was ‘much higher than believed’. Around one in 260 harboured a life-threatening cardiac condition.
Manchester City midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe died while playing for Cameroon in 2003
German newspaper Berliner Zeitung claimed recently that 24 footballers, coaches or officials collapsed with suspected heart issues between July 11 and October 15 — one every four days.
Nothing kills athletes under 30 in the UK more regularly than sudden cardiac arrest. Every year, 600 people die before reaching 35 from undiagnosed heart conditions.
‘If you’ve got a car with something not quite right with the engine, and you decide to drive it across the desert, you’re putting it in the worst-case scenario,’ says Dr Steven Cox of Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY). ‘This is the key. It’s not normal what athletes do.’
Charlie Edinburgh was in his kitchen when Eriksen slumped to the turf in Copenhagen in June. The 28-year-old watched alongside his mother Kerri as life left the midfielder’s body.
Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest against Finland at Euro 2020
‘All that came to my head was memories of dad,’ Edinburgh says.
‘All of the pain and suffering we’ve endured.’ In 2019, former Tottenham defender and Leyton Orient manager Justin Edinburgh died aged 49 following a cardiac arrest at a gym. ‘It just brought back horrific memories,’ Charlie adds. ‘There are no words that can explain the shock. It’s like a light switch. One minute they’re here, the next they’re gone.’
Eriksen’s heart was flicked back on during 13 minutes of emergency treatment. Now the Denmark midfielder, fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), hopes to play again.
Through the JE3 Foundation, Edinburgh fights to ensure his family — rather than Eriksen’s — is the exception. ‘Cardiac arrests are not going away — that’s the scary thing,’ he says. ‘This is happening on a regular basis. There is so much more that can be done by the wider footballing community.’
The Denmark midfielder’s heart was flicked back on after 13 minutes of treatment
The foundation has been ‘inundated’ by clubs and individuals within sport keen for education and training.
Tottenham defender Japhet Tanganga attended one of their CPR workshops; Wolves players asked for a basic life support session following the collapse of a Newcastle fan.
Across football, however, Edinburgh rues an opportunity missed. ‘How many more instances are going to need to occur?’ he asks. ‘There has to be something done as more lives are going to be lost unnecessarily.’
This isn’t a new problem, after all. Marc-Vivien Foe and Cheick Tiote collapsed and died while playing.
Fabrice Muamba and Iker Casillas are among those to have had lucky escapes. Crystal Palace midfielder Conor Gallagher required heart surgery in 2018 after feeling his heart beating worryingly fast and falling ill.
Ajax defender Daley Blind was fitted with an ICD for ‘heart muscle inflammation’ in 2019. The device went off last year when he collapsed during pre-season.
There are concerns football’s ever-increasing speed and ever-bulging calendar could be putting vulnerable players at more risk.
‘We are seeing more and more issues coming to the fore and it is still underreported to the general public,’ says cardiologist Dr Aneil Malhotra, who works with England and Premier League clubs.
Former Leyton Orient manager Justin Edinburgh died after suffering a cardiac arrest in 2019
To try to detect heart problems before it is too late, every player at England’s 92 league clubs is now screened at 16, 18, 20 and 25. Players have an electrocardiogram (ECG) to monitor the heart’s rhythm and electrical activity, as well as an ultrasound. These reveal the most serious conditions.
Midfielder Nnamdi Ofoborh was sidelined after he joined Rangers from Bournemouth in the summer when medics detected a possible issue with his heart. However, not everything can be picked up.
At Spurs, Eriksen was tested annually and no warning signs appeared. ‘You can screen until the cows come home,’ says Malhotra. ‘But a small proportion of people may slip through the net.’ When issues are detected, the majority can be treated or cured. But again, not all.
‘At that point we have to make a call on whether that athlete should carry on playing,’ says Professor Sanjay Sharma, chair of the FA’s expert cardiac consensus panel, who also screened Eriksen at Spurs. ‘This is where the sporting and medical communities are a bit divided. Who am I to say: you will not play again?’
All medics can do is warn. ‘It’s a very difficult conversation,’ explains Sharma. ‘A conversation that can just be ignored. “Thank you very much, Doc, but I’m going to carry on playing”. There’s a lot of that.’
Responsibility then falls to a player and their employer. Sportsmail has discovered that a League One player was close to joining a top Premier League club this year until an underlying heart issue was discovered. Another top-flight club chose to sign him.
‘As an employer you have to show some responsibility,’ Sharma says. ‘If something did go wrong, people have got to be able to go back and say that they had done everything properly.
Friction arises when you get some cardiologist saying, “Surely someone has to take the lead with this”. Someone who understands what could go wrong should be able to turn round and say, “He shouldn’t have played”.’
Ajax defender Daley Blind collapsed during training pre-season last year but recovered
That happens in Italy, where rules ban players such as Eriksen if they are at increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest. There is no such policy here — nor is cardiac screening mandatory across organised sport.
In Italy, all children involved in grassroots sport are tested from the age of 12 and sudden cardiac death has been reduced by 89 per cent.
CRY, who already provide free screening to more than 30,000 people every year, believe the UK should follow.
‘Every young person should have the choice to be screened at least once,’ Cox says. ‘We see Muamba and Eriksen and that gives the misconception that these events only involve professional athletes.’
Former Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote died in 2017 after suffering a cardiac arrest in training while playing for Chinese outfit Beijing Enterprises Club
Calls to the charity increased by 243 per cent in the week following Eriksen’s collapse.
‘We have over 50,000 people on a waiting list,’ Cox adds. And it is a critical time. According to Sharma, viruses such as Covid may cause heart muscle damage and pre-dispose people to certain rhythm disturbances.
Malhotra adds: ‘People could potentially have inflation of the heart muscle and are pushing themselves. We are going into uncharted territory.’
Elite athletes who contract Covid are given a cardiac test, one of several investigations that can unearth problems. And yet clubs still do not use all the tools at their disposal, including MRI scans, which could pick up inflammation or scarring.
Fomer Spain captain Iker Casillas suffered during a training session with Porto in May 2019
‘Premier League players are worth so much,’ Sharma says. ‘Why don’t they have every single test so you can pick up everything? The more tests you do, the more answers you’ll get. But you can open up a can of worms. If we found a little speck of scar, the question is: does that mean he’s in trouble?’
Another issue? Medics ‘would never get permission’ from Premier League clubs to put players through lengthy scans ‘just to do research,’ Sharma says. ‘They will say, “Training and fixtures are more important”.’
The latest medical research looks at ‘predictors’ of sudden death. ‘What we don’t know,’ Sharma explains, ‘is when some of these issues become very apparent.’
Malhotra believes artificial intelligence could prove crucial. So does Casillas. The former Real goalkeeper, who in 2019 suffered a heart attack in training, invested in Spanish start-up IDOVEN, which has developed software to detect heart problems earlier.
Closer to home, the JE3 Foundation want to introduce Justin’s Law, requiring sport and health facilities to house defibrillators. ‘It’s going to take common sense for people to finally stand up,’ Edinburgh says.
After Eriksen’s collapse, the Premier League vowed to donate defibrillators — which cost £800 to £2,500 — to more than 2,000 grassroots football sites‘That’s not even touching the surface,’ Edinburgh adds. ‘There are millions of pounds in football that go towards what? There’s a naivety around cardiac arrest, a lack of education in this country. Football has come on but there’s still a long road ahead.’
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