Daley Blind has lashed out at the people who have said in the past that there was no future for him as a football player after his heart problems. The Ajax defender had to contend with heart muscle inflammation in 2019 and was given a defibrillator as a result, which went off in preparation for the 2020/21 season. The way in which people from the outside judged his situation has caused a lot of annoyance at Blind, he told the newspaper Cor Potcast by FC Rehab.
The situation around Blind was stirred up this summer when former team-mate Christian Eriksen went to ground during the European Championship with a cardiac arrest. In his case, Blind was immensely disturbed by the messages that passed in the media at the time. “It had just happened then and in the following days it was always an item at FOX Sports (nowadays ESPN, ed.), at VI, you name all talk programs,” says the Ajax defender. “A heart specialist then came to FOX Sports on the phone. They were all allowed to ask questions and the conclusion was that I was never allowed to play football again.”
The relevant cardiologist who was responsible for the statements, Jan Hoogsteen of the Máxima Medical Center in Veldhoven, stated, among other things, that it could not be ruled out that Blind had to put an end to his football career as a result of the inflammation. “Then they don’t realize what it does to me”, Blind continues. “I think I am quite strong mentally myself. That only triggered me to show: just wait, how soon I’ll be back. But they also don’t realize how many other clubs are looking at where you want to make another step one day.” How many players and teammates think: oh, it’s done with that boy or we have to look for someone else as a club. And in the end what does it do to my career and to me as a person?”, Blind wonders aloud.
Blind would therefore advise that people be more cautious in their assumptions in the future when it comes to such sensitive issues. “He does not know my file, so he cannot know what exactly was wrong with me, whether I would be able to exercise at all or not. Yes, then I find it striking that someone who is quite gifted makes such decisions to to call things like that on TV. And that the analysts are so full of it, that actually disturbed me.”
According to Blind, the responsibility also partly lies with the journalists. “It is logical that a journalist will ask questions about certain situations and call a cardiologist for this. But the question is: does such a cardiologist respond to that and what does he have to say about my situation? He can tell what a heart rhythm disorder is.” that can happen to anyone. But speaking out about someone’s file goes a step further, I think. I think that journalists should take the responsibility not to broadcast some things yet or to first ask for a response from the camp where it is about.”