This is how the fan who suffered cardiac arrest at Camp Nou was saved
The club has its own medical services and, after attending to the affected supporter, an ambulance from Barça itself transferred him to Bellvitge
BarcelonaJust past the 40th minute of the league match between Barça and Celta this Wednesday, and almost simultaneously with the moment Lamine Yamal fell to the ground injured after scoring the only goal of the match, a Barça fan suffered cardiac arrest that chilled the atmosphere at the Camp Nou. A 56-year-old supporter collapsed in the stadium's side area. The match was interrupted to attend to the affected person, as per protocol in such cases.
For almost 20 minutes, the Barça supporter, who had been a member of the Culer entity until 2017, received emergency medical attention to be stabilized. Subsequently, he was transferred to Bellvitge University Hospital, where he is still under observation, but out of danger, according to official Barça sources consulted by this newspaper. The swift action of Manel Garcia, who is in charge of the coordination of Barça's medical center and all preventive health services at the club's various facilities, and his emergency team was key.
With the renovation of the Camp Nou, which allows for the separation of the fences forming the U-shaped advertising ring of the stadium, the time taken to provide on-site care to the supporter who suffered cardiac arrest was decisive. When they managed to recover the fan's pulse, who was treated in the middle of the staircase of the first tier on the side, at the height of the halfway line, he was evacuated to the hospital in a club-owned ambulance. Following this, the first half of the match resumed, and eight minutes of extra time were added.The protocol to follow in these emergencies
La Liga, the National Sports Office (OND), the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Spanish Association of Football Team Doctors (AEMEF) sealed a new communication protocol in August 2024 for emergencies in professional football stadiums, especially those affecting the public, and their impact on the course of matches. From the 2024-2025 season, the figure of the pitch liaison was created, belonging to the security forces and corps. They are on the pitch, in permanent contact with the UCO (Organizational Control Unit) and the refereeing team, in order to guarantee the effective flow of information in the event of any medical emergency in the stands.
It was also agreed to reinforce the health services present in the stadiums, including the figure of the stadium doctors, whose responsibility is the first medical attention to unwell spectators. Furthermore, a new communication protocol was established for stadium emergencies that also includes the broadcast of messages by megaphone and by videoboard for spectators to be aware of, as happened this Wednesday at the Camp Nou.
The actions of Barça and SEM
In fact, SEM sources explain to ARA that FC Barcelona has its own health services to assist with incidents and patients within Camp Nou. This explains why the SEM was not activated, as would happen in any other situation. According to the protocol between emergencies and FC Barcelona, the SEM only sends its ambulances and personnel to the venue if the club's own professionals request it, usually because they detect that the case "is serious", meaning there is an urgent life risk for the affected person and more specialized interventions are needed before reaching a hospital.
However, the same protocol stipulates that, while the patient is being attended to, the club's professionals must contact the SEM, which must immediately notify the Health Coordination Center to offer them non-face-to-face assistance. Initially, it is determined which is the most suitable health center to transfer the patient, considering various variables, such as the pathology (for example, a heart attack), or if it is necessary to transfer them to a reference center for a specific specialty.
Another key factor is the flow of patients arriving at the hospital network at that moment to avoid service saturation. If it is known that the nearest center is already attending to a complex case, the SEM may decide to transfer them to another center with more available services, such as operating rooms or life support units. This is precisely what happened in this case, and the reason why the FC Barcelona fan was transferred to Bellvitge, about 6 kilometers away, but with advanced cardiology services, a cardiac ICU, and 24-hour emergency care. Once the SEM decides where the affected person is transferred, the center immediately alerts the health center of this arrival.
