Ref who helped save Christian Eriksen’s life used his experience as a prison officer at Strangeways

The referee who played a big part in saving the life of Danish footballer Christian Eriksen as he collapsed from cardiac arrest over the weekend used his experience as a prison guard at Strangeways, his former mentor has claimed.

Forty-two year old Anthony Taylor, from Wythenshawe, worked as a prison officer at HMP Manchester – known commonly as Strangeways – before embarking upon a career as a football referee.

In a 2017 interview, Taylor had compared the two roles, saying they aren’t as dissimilar as some people may think.

He said previously: “There are skills which are interchangeable between working in the prison service and refereeing.

“It’s not about red and yellow cards, it’s about stopping things happening as much as you can. Trying to be proactive.

“Working in a prison meant I needed a lot of communication and management qualities to deal with daily situations. I specialised in control and restraint techniques, educating staff on the best ways to control violent individuals and difficult situations that arise.”

When Eriksen collapsed during Saturday’s Euros game between Denmark and Finland, Taylor stopped play within just four seconds and immediately ushered medical teams to the player, remaining calm and collected.

Medics say his prompt actions saved Eriksen’s life.

And his former mentor, Chris Foy, has seconded this opinion, with him saying in a recent interview: “Anthony was a prison officer and I am quite sure he has been in some stressful situations before, but it is how you deal with that.

“The way he dealt with it was prompt, it was quick, it was confident. And it was the right course of action so probably his prison training came in and did give him a bit of help in that situation.”

Foy added: “He did a cracking job.”

@christianeriksen8 / Instagram

Eriksen has since posted an update from hospital, noting on Instagram how he feels ‘fine’ despite the circumstances and wishing his team luck for their future games.

He wrote: “I’m fine – under the circumstances. I still have to go through some examinations at the hospital, but I feel okay.

“Now, I will cheer on the boys on the Denmark team in the next matches. Play for all of Denmark.”