- The boy from Hounslow, London, was attending a youth football tournament.
A British teenager is fighting for his life in a coma after being found “lifeless” in a swimming pool during a football tournament in Sweden.
The 16-year-old from Hounslow, west London, who has been identified as Sajawal Aziz, was in the country for a youth tournament when he was found unconscious last Friday.
The “talented” footballer was spotted in the pool at Nolhaga Parkbad in Allingsås by other players who pulled him out of the water, local authorities said.
His “distraught” family say he is now in a coma in hospital and medical staff have allegedly threatened to turn off his life support.
Now family and friends are appealing to the British government for help and have launched an appeal to help bring him home.
The 16-year-old from Hounslow, west London, who has been identified as Sajawal, was in the country for a youth football tournament.
The “smart and kind” schoolboy was taking part in the world’s largest youth football tournament, the Gothia Cup, when the incident occurred.
Pool staff administered CPR to the teenager before he was airlifted to Sahlgrenska Hospital in Gothenburg, about 25 miles away.
Niklas Ehnfors, head of communications for Allingsås municipality, said the teenager had been spotted and pulled out of the water by Swedish players who were also in the pool at the time. Meter reports.
He said: “Staff were called and were able to determine that he was lifeless, not breathing and had no pulse. CPR was started and continued until paramedics arrived on scene.”
Tournament spokeswoman Malin Fahlén said staff were “extremely concerned and saddened” by the developments.
He said: “We will now try to concentrate all our resources to support and care in the best way possible.”
TO GoFundMe A friend has also set up a page to help with medical costs as well as efforts to send the boy back to the UK.
The “talented” football player was spotted in the swimming pool at Nolhaga Parkbad in Allingsås by other players and was removed, local authorities said.
So far, more than £13,000 of the £50,000 target has been raised, with funds going to Sajawal’s father.
Police are now investigating the incident at the pool, which was closed over the weekend.
This is the second year in a row that an accident has occurred at Nolhaga Parkbad during the tournament, Swedish newspaper Expressen reports.
Last year, a 15-year-old Ethiopian player died after being found at the bottom of the pool.
Mr Ehnfors said: ‘It is often said that lightning does not strike twice in the same place, but in this case that appears to be the case.
“But we are trying to focus on the situation we have right now, and then of course we will analyse to see if there are parallels with last year’s accident.”
A Foreign Office spokesman said in a statement: “We are providing consular support to the family of a British national hospitalised in Sweden.”