A British teenage footballer is in a critical condition after being found ‘lifeless’ at the bottom of a swimming pool in Sweden.
The boy, who was competing in the world’s largest youth football tournament, was pulled out of the water yesterday at Nolhaga Parkbad in Allingsås, around around 25 miles north-east of Gothenburg.
Pool staff administered CPR on the teenager, who is thought to be 16 or 17, until paramedics took over.
He was flown by helicopter to Sahlgrenska hospital in Gothenburg, where he remains in a serious condition.
The boy has not been named, but he was playing for one of 128 English teams sent over to Sweden for this year’s Gothia Cup, which sees almost 2,000 teams from 80 nations compete.
Niklas Ehnfors, head of communications at Allingsås council, said the teenager had been spotted and pulled out of the water by Swedish players who were also in the pool.
He added: ‘In the meantime, staff were called who could establish that he was lifeless – he was not breathing and had no pulse. CPR was started, which continued until paramedics arrived at the scene.’
The swimming pool is currently shut while police investigate.
This is the second year in a row that someone has drowned at Nolhaga Parkbadat pool during the tournament, reports Swedish newspaper, Expressen.
Last year, a boy in his early teens died after also being found at the bottom of the pool.
Mr Ehnfors said: ‘It is usually said that lightning does not strike twice in the same place, but in this case it feels like it has.
‘But we are trying to focus on the situation that we have right now, then we will of course analyse to see what if any parallels there are to last year’s accident.’
The Metro has contacted the foreign office for comment.
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