Ireland boss Stephen Kenny opens up on heart scare
John Fallon
Stephen Kenny has revealed he suffered flashbacks watching Christian Eriksen’s recent collapse, admitting for the first time he also required a defibrillator to survive a cardiac health scare two years ago.
Kenny was hospitalised for a week in September 2019 after feeling unwell at Vaxjo Airport while his Ireland U21 squad were travelling home from the previous night's Euro qualification win over Sweden.
He or his employers in the FAI were unwilling to reveal the source of the issue but, 14 months after he was elevated to the role of senior boss, Kenny has chosen to discuss the matter.
It is no coincidence his openness was triggered by Eriksen’s woes. The Denmark star had to be resuscitated on the pitch after falling to the ground during their first game of the Euro finals on June 14.
“It was traumatic and vivid seeing Christian Eriksen’s incident,” he told Newstalk’s Off The Ball show. “I got the impression watching on TV that he may have died.
"I wasn't feeling well on the bus going to the airport and had a not so dissimilar incident to Christian Eriksen.
"At the time, the doctor - Ronan Kearney - chose that weekend to get married, which was nice of him! We had a new doctor in, Mortimer O'Connor from the under-17s. It was a baptism of fire for Mortimer.
"All of the players had gone through, and some staff, it was just a certain number of staff that had stayed with myself because they knew I wasn't well.
“The players didn't see it because they had gone through, but there was a big scene at the airport."
"Looking at Christian Eriksen's situation, I got flashbacks and saw the impact it had on the people around me. Luckily, I had people around me: staff, my colleagues, and friends.
"Keith Andrews, Jim Crawford, Damien Doyle, Colm O'Neill. They were all in the vicinity at the time and trying to address the situation. You don't know what you want, you are just delighted to exist. You are delighted to live.
"All of those staff, I trust them all implicitly. The majority are with me with the senior internationals now. I would trust them all so much.
"We have been through so much, that was a huge moment in all of our lives."
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