Dundee’s Julien Vetro Collapses Before Match, Recovers for Celebration

Dundee winger Julien Vetro experienced a collapse in the dressing room prior to Sunday’s 3-2 Scottish Premiership victory against Kilmarnock. Despite the incident, he returned from the hospital to join his team in celebrating their dramatic win. The 20-year-old French national, on loan from Burnley since the summer, was initially named as a substitute for the game at Dens Park. However, after he fainted and became unconscious, the kick-off was postponed by 15 minutes to allow him to receive medical attention. Dundee manager Tony Docherty conveyed his sentiments to BBC Sport Scotland following the match, stating: “It was a real concern, particularly for the players witnessing that,” He added, “It was pretty worrying for a spell but he has been taken to hospital, they have done checks on him and he is back in the dressing room celebrating with his team-mates.” Docherty concluded, “The good news is that he is okay, but it was not a nice situation for his team-mates to see that.” This incident marks the second occasion a Dundee player has collapsed during the current season. In September, midfielder Mohamed Sylla experienced an anaphylactic shock at half-time during the team’s defeat by Aberdeen. Dundee managed to overcome a two-goal deficit to defeat Kilmarnock, with Vetro’s compatriot, Ziyad Larkeche, scoring the decisive goal in stoppage time. Larkeche dedicated his pivotal goal to his friend. The defender commented, “He is feeling well so to see him after the game with a big smile, it was a big relief for me,” He further revealed, “Before the game I was thinking: ‘If I score, this goal will be for Julien.’ ” Larkeche elaborated on his concern, saying, “I was really worried, he is one of my close friends here and when you see someone like that, I was really concerned so this goal is for him and also for Mohamed [Sylla] because he just had a kid.”