By IANS
London : Leicester City defender Clive Clarke collapsed in the dressing room at half-time causing their Carling Cup away tie with Nottingham Forest being abandoned.
Paramedics rushed down the stadium tunnel to attend to the 27-year-old Clarke shortly after the half-time whistle.
“Clive was very seriously ill,” Leicester chief executive Tim Davies told BBC Sport.
“He was taken away in an ambulance to hospital. Our thoughts and prayers are with Clive and his family.”
The player was later said to be in a stable condition.
Davies added: “I would like to say a big thank you to Nottingham Forest for dealing with the matter so fast.”
Clarke was reported to being treated in the emergency room at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Leicester said he was “stable” and would be kept in overnight to monitor his progress.
Forest was leading the Carling Cup tie 1-0 at half-time thanks to Junior Agogo’s goal.
However, after a delay of 15 minutes, Forest manger Colin Calderwood and Leicester manager Martin Allen emerged from the tunnel to announce to the crowd that the game had been abandoned.
Calderwood said: “We are afraid that due to the serious illness of a Leicester player both clubs have agreed to postpone the match.”
Forest chief executive Mark Arthur said later: “I think football is secondary to human issues.
“As soon as we found out the serious nature of Clive’s situation, we went straight to the referee and said we would do whatever is right by Leicester.
“Obviously, they are going through great trauma at the moment and we very quickly agreed between the three parties that the game should be abandoned.”