Ivory Coast defender, EVAN NDICKA, is cleared to resume playing after collapsing on the pitch

Tuesday, April 24, 2024 – Ivory Coast and Roma defender, Evan Ndicka has been cleared to resume sporting activity after undergoing a series of tests, the Serie A club said on Tuesday.

This comes days after the 24-year-old collapsed on the pitch during their match against Udinese. His lungs had reportedly collapsed.

The Paris-born player was carried off on a stretcher after falling backwards on the pitch in the 18th minute with the game in Udine later abandoned at 1-1.

Ndicka was conscious but visibly in pain, rubbing his chest with his right hand as the medical team rushed towards him. He was discharged from the hospital a day after the incident, which occurred on April 14.

'Ndicka underwent a series of cardiologic and third-level pulmonary tests,' Roma said in a statement.

'Tests conducted confirmed the absence of cardiac pathologies and the healing of the minimal pneumothorax that occurred during the match.

‘The player is therefore fit for resuming sports activity that will be monitored in the following days.’

Roma, fifth in the Italian top flight with six games to go will face Napoli on Sunday.

Roma manager Daniele de Rossi previously allayed fears Ndicka had suffered cardiac issues and revealed the cause of the Ivory Coast centre-back's problems.

'A collapsed lung is a painful thing but luckily, if we can say that, he's not suffering from what we feared,' De Rossi said.

Ndicka spent one night in hospital under observation before being allowed to return to Rome from Udine, with tests revealing no sign of cardiac issues.