Etienne Vaessen had his head and neck stabilised following his horrific collision that left him unconscious in a game against Ajax.
The RKC Waalwijk goalkeeper collided with striker Brian Brobbey in a match on Saturday (September 30) which left him motionless on the ground. Ajax were 3-2 ahead at the time but the match was quickly abandoned when the seriousness of Vaessen's injury was noticed. The 28-year-old lost consciousness and had to be resuscitated according to reports in the Netherlands, in what were emotional scenes where several players were seen crying.
Vaessen was stretchered off the pitch as fans reportedly sang 'You'll Never Walk Alone' as he exited and was quickly transported to hospital. Since the devastating incident, ESPN analyst Hans Kraay spoke to RKC Waalwijk director Frank van Mosselveld on Sunday morning (October 1) for updates on the goalkeeper's condition.
READ MORE: Ajax match abandoned after terrible injury with 'players crying' at 'motionless' star
READ MORE: When fans turn on teams – stadiums destroyed, 'poshest protest ever', violent attacks
"He is very proud of his doctor. He is very proud of the paramedics. Very decisive work has been done," the ESPN reporter said. "The paramedics took over when it turned out not to be the heart. They stabilized his head and neck and asked the right questions."
"But Frank couldn't say anything about that at the moment. The neurologist will look at those scans in the next two hours and we'll have to wait and see." According to Kraay, the situation already looks a lot better than it initially seemed on the field. "A lot better." RKC Waalwijk updated their fans following the game to tell fans that Vaessen was conscious when he was transported to the hospital.
The club put out a new statement on Sunday as they wrote: "Following our update last night, we can report that our goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen had a good night and has continued his recovery. For Etienne it is important for now to be able to recover in peace in the coming hours and days. We would therefore like to ask you to give him and his family the time and rest for this.
"On behalf of everyone within RKC Waalwijk, we wish Etienne, and all the people around him, a lot of strength. We hope to see him again at the club soon." The Breda native has spent the entirety of his career with the club who sit 12th in the Eredivisie, one point and two places higher than Ajax.
Source: Read Full Article