Fiorentina midfielder Edoardo Bove in medically induced coma after collapsing in Italian soccer game

FLORENCE, Italy -- Fiorentina midfielder Edoardo Bove is in a medically induced coma after collapsing on the field during his team’s Serie A match at home to Inter Milan on Sunday, with the game abandoned shortly afterward.

Bove's teammates immediately called for medical help and both sets of players surrounded the 22-year-old while he was being treated before he was swiftly stretchered off to an ambulance near the pitch and taken to Careggi Hospital in Florence.

“Fiorentina and the Careggi University Hospital announce that the footballer Edoardo Bove ... is currently under pharmacological sedation and hospitalized in intensive care,” Fiorentina said in a statement. "The first cardiological and neurological tests performed have ruled out acute damage to the central nervous system and the cardio-respiratory system. Edoardo Bove will be re-evaluated in the next 24 hours.”

Sky Italia reported that the player regained consciousness while he was in the ambulance and was managing to breathe on his own.

Bove’s parents and his girlfriend have arrived at the hospital along with Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino and most of his teammates, as well as club directors and the city's mayor.

Fiorentina fans have also gathered outside the hospital and displayed a banner with the words: “Forza Edoardo, Florence is with you.”

Fiorentina president Rocco Commisso echoed that sentiment and the club said he and his family are in constant contact from the United States to support Bove and his family.

“Forza Edoardo, we’re with you,” Commisso said. “You’re a strong boy with a great character.”

More messages of support flooded in on social media from players and clubs. Inter midfielder Federico Dimarco, who was on the field at the time, wrote “Forza Edo, we are all with you and your family.”

The incident happened in the 16th minute of the match, with play stopped following a VAR check. Bove apparently bent down to tie the laces on his boot before he suddenly dropped to the ground.

Fiorentina players were distraught on the field and were comforted by staff members as well as Inter players. Several were openly sobbing before the teams filed off the field.

The Italian league match was immediately halted, before being abandoned. The score at the time of Bove's collapse was 0-0.

Many at Fiorentina — as well as the fans — remember former captain Davide Astori, who was found dead in his hotel room in March 2018 before a match in Udine.

It is the second incident this year of a player collapsing during a Serie A match. It happened to Roma defender Evan Ndicka during his team's match at Udinese in April.

Bove is a product of the Roma youth academy and joined Fiorentina on loan in the offseason with the option to make the move permanent.

Romelu Lukaku, who spent last season at Roma with Bove, posted a photo of the pair during a match and added the caption: “I love you lil bro. We are all with you.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer