Ajax superstar Abdelhak Nouri collapsed on the footballing field three years ago during a friendly against Werder Bremen. The Dutchman has since been in a critical condition in the hospital but the good news is that his family have provided a positive update on his progress since waking from a coma. Nouri had cardiac arrhythmia attack on the pitch and was put in a medically induced coma, and has now woken up after two years and nine months. Football Will Be the Unifying Factor Soon, Says Indian Footballer Sandesh Jhingan.

Abdelhak Nouri rose through the ranks of the famous Ajax youth academy and made a total of nine first-team appearances before than unfortunate incident during the club’s pre-season tour of Austria in July 2017. Speaking on a Dutch TV show De Wereld Draait Door, Nouri’s brother Abderrahim revealed that the footballer is doing well and is now able to sit up and watch football with the rest of his family.

‘He has not been home very long, we take care of him there now, I must say that since he is at home it is going much better than before in the hospital.’ Abderrahim said. ‘He is aware of where he is, he is back in a familiar environment with his family. He’s no longer in a coma. He’s just awake. He sleeps, he sneezes, he eats, he burps, but it’s not like he gets out of bed. He’s very bedridden and still very dependent on us.’ He added.

‘On his good days, there is a form of communication, for example, confirmation with his eyebrows or a smile. But you notice that he can’t last that very long. We talk to him like he’s not sick. We take him into our conversations and we watch football with him in the living room, for example. That does us good. That makes you really appreciate a smile.’ Appie Nouri’s brother added further.

After Nouri’s diagnosis, Ajax admitted that the on-field treatment given to the player was inadequate at that time and club doctor Don de Winter was relieved of his duties. It is understood that Winter deviated from the guidelines provided by UEFA and began resuscitation attempts too late.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 27, 2020 08:39 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).