Fiorentina's Bove visits teammates after hospital discharge

Midfielder Bove was given a warm round of applause by his teammates when he joined a squad meeting ahead of Sunday's trip to Bologna in full training kit.

Bove, on loan at Fiorentina from his boyhood team Roma, will not take part in Saturday's afternoon session at the club's Viola Park training centre.

The 22-year-old was discharged from Florence's Careggi hospital on Friday where he had been since collapsing to the Stadio Artemio Franchi turf during Fiorentina's Serie A fixture with Inter Milan on December 1.

He underwent surgery to install a defibrillator which could later be removed if deemed safe to do so, but his career in Italy is at risk as, subject to further tests, a permanent device may yet be needed.

A source who has worked on the medical staff at a Serie A club told AFP that there is nearly no chance that a footballer with a defibrillator would qualify for the medical certificate which is a legal requirement to play sport at any level in Italy.

Contact sport is considered dangerous for the athlete in question as the defibrillator could be damaged, for instance, in a tackle or while challenging for a header.

Christian Eriksen had to leave Inter Milan in 2021 in the wake of his cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark at that year's European Championship.

Eriksen was banned from playing in Italian football after having an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or ICD, fitted but now plays for Manchester United and still represents his country.