BREAKING : a minute ago 4 key players of leed united supporter found dead just now in a massive care explosion….
On the morning of September 28, Mark Townsend set off to Sheffield, hoping to see his beloved West Bromwich Albion stretch their lead at the top of the English Championship.
He did not come home.
The 57-year-old collapsed in the away end at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough Stadium midway through the first half of West Brom’s 3-2 defeat.
a rapid response would have helped,” he tells The Athletic. “It could have been a massive heart attack, dead before he hit the floor. But whether a swifter response would have changed anything, I would have loved to have thought it would have done and my brother would still be here. It shouldn’t have happened, and I want a full inquest into the failings.
The Athletic has spoken to multiple eyewitnesses who have outlined the following apparent failings in the care provided by the club and its medical services:
Eleven people told us that there was a gap of at least nine minutes between Mark collapsing and being seen by an official medic, when last season’s target was two minutes. Sheffield Wednesday insisted to The Athletic it was only four minutes.
Fans claim there were issues in reporting the seriousness of the situation to stewards.
The first defibrillator brought to treat Mark ran out of battery after two shocks.
Hillsborough’s narrow passageways made transporting Mark “extremely difficult”.
Spectators say there was a span of 20 minutes between Mark collapsing and any oxygen being provided.
“I don’t want anybody else to go through this. It could be anybody in that stand,” says Steve. “I wouldn’t want one of their fans to suffer, and my brother suffered. Nobody should go to a game of football and not come out.
After the game, a statement from Sheffield Wednesday read: “The thoughts of everyone at Sheffield