Miami (AFP) – The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) said on Friday that it was a mistake to carry on playing last week’s game between Angel City and the Utah Royals following the collapse of defender Savy King. Angel City’s King, 20, underwent heart surgery on Tuesday, days after being carried off the field at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles last Friday following a sudden collapse in the 74th minute.
Although players from both sides were visibly distressed, the teams completed the fixture after the incident, a move that was criticized by the league’s Players Association. “Having reviewed our protocols and how they were implemented, and in listening to feedback from our stakeholders, the Angel City vs Utah game last Friday night should not have continued,” the NWSL said in a statement. “The health and well being of the entire NWSL community remains our top priority, and in any similar situation going forward the game should and would be abandoned,” they added.
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The Players Association welcomed the statement and previous commitments from the league to ‘revisions’ to their protocol. “The League’s acknowledgement that the game should have ended — and its commitment to adopting protocol for the future, should it ever be needed — represents a meaningful step forward,” it said in a statement. “It’s a change made possible by the strength and unity of our players. Player safety is not a slogan. It is a practice. We are grateful that NWSL has listened,” they added.
King was selected second overall by Bay FC in the 2024 NWSL Draft and was traded to Angel City on February 3, a move that brought her back to her hometown of Los Angeles.
© 2024 AFP
