30-Year-Old Egyptian Football Player Collapses Mid-Game and Stops Breathing for an Hour After Suffering Cardiac Arrest — Doctors are Baffled (VIDEO)

Ahmed Refaat, a 30-year-old Egyptian football player and former international team-mate of Mohamed Salah, suffered a cardiac arrest during a match with Al Ittihad Alexandria Club, leading to a dire medical emergency. The incident occurred just minutes before the final whistle.

Refaat, who was playing for Modern Future FC, collapsed without warning, prompting immediate medical intervention.

Despite the swift response from the on-site medical team, the player’s heartbeat ceased for an agonizing duration of over an hour, Goal.com reported.

The match was immediately suspended as the stricken star was hurried to Zamzam Hospital for urgent care.

Modern Future FC expressed their deep concern, according to Kingfut.

“Ahmed Refaat’s heart stopped for more than an hour, despite all resuscitation attempts by the medical staff at Zamzam Hospital near the stadium, before his heart rate improved gradually. However, his condition is still medically unstable, which prevents his transfer. Unless his health condition stabilizes, the player will continue to receive treatment and undergo the necessary tests.”

“The club are following the situation on a momentary basis from the hospital, and everyone will be updated immediately. We would like to call on the media to respect the player’s personal life as well as his health and ask the Egyptian football fans to pray for Ahmed Refaat to be safe and sound as soon as possible,” the club said.

Nine days into his hospital stay, Amr Osman, a medical supervisor and cardiology consultant for the Modern Future FC, revealed that Refaat’s heart condition is rare and baffling, even to seasoned medical experts, according to Lovin.co.

“Refaat was resuscitated for two full hours, and every time he was resuscitated, the player’s heartbeat accelerated, returning to point zero, and we had to begin the resuscitation process again. The heart’s condition returned to point zero once more approximately every five minutes,” Osman said.

Refaat’s kidneys and lungs are under close observation, with particular concern for his lung function, though the full extent of the impact remains uncertain.

Walid Dabas, President of Future F.C., conveyed in a phone interview that despite the severity of his condition, Refaat has shown some signs of awareness and is currently supported by respiratory devices to aid his breathing.

WATCH:

Here is the exact moment when Refaat fell to the ground: