East Bengal defender Anwar Ali suffers heart attack, stable

East Bengal defender Anwar Ali. Picture courtesy/KF East Bengal Twitter account

Kolkata: Former India international and East Bengal's central defender Anwar Ali today suffered a heart attack while returning home after a training session, but is
said to be stable now. The 32-year-old central defender was returning from practice when he suffered the heart attack, prompting his teammate Gurwinder Singh to rush him to the hospital on EM Bypass.

"He was admitted with discomfort and uneasiness. The ECG and angiogram report showed no major blockages. He's is doing okay and stable now. He is young and age is on his side," Sunip Banerjee, cardiologist at Medica Superspecialty Hospital, told PTI. This is a fresh blow to East Bengal, who have already given up on their title aspirations in the I-League, but the player has not been ruled out of the Federation Cup as yet.

"He should be fit to play before the Federation Cup. We are awaiting some other blood reports to see when he can be discharged," the doctor added. The defender was sidelined after the club's 1-3 loss to Churchill Brothers as East Bengal went on to lose four matches in a row to bow out of the I-League title race.