Every three minutes, someone in the United Kingdom dies from cardiovascular disease. This is the exact length of a World Cup hydration break. Former Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer is now supporting a British Heart Foundation campaign, urging fans to use these tournament stoppages to help save lives.
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Subscribe Sekarang →According to the British Heart Foundation, around 30 lives are lost to heart attacks and strokes over the course of a 90-minute football match. Across the entire 39-day tournament, approximately 19,000 people in the United Kingdom are expected to die from cardiovascular disease, many prematurely. The charity encourages fans to use the two scheduled three-minute stoppages to donate and support global research.
Lockyer knows the value of time better than most. The former Wales international suffered a cardiac arrest during a Premier League match for Luton Town in December 2023 and was later fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. "Everyone watches these hydration breaks and thinks three minutes to kill, but every three minutes, someone in the UK dies from cardiovascular disease," Lockyer said.
Carlisle United captain Charlie Wyke joined the cause, having survived a cardiac arrest during a training session for Wigan Athletic in 2021. Based on his experience, Wyke emphasized that cardiovascular disease does not discriminate by age or fitness. He stated that the three-minute breaks are a rare chance to turn dead time into a moment that helps save families from heartbreak.
The campaign highlights pioneering research, including an artificial intelligence tool developed by Professor Charalambos Antoniades at the University of Oxford. The technology detects coronary artery inflammation from scans to predict heart attack risks a decade before they happen. British Heart Foundation Chief Executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths urged fans not to wait for play to restart, but to donate and fund breakthroughs that keep hearts beating.