Football: Juande had to wait for the ambulance after breaking his leg in the A-League duel at AAMI Park

According to witnesses, it took 13 minutes for an ambulance to arrive at the stadium to help Adelaide United star Juande after he sustained a serious leg injury in the 3-3 draw with Melbourne City.

The incident happened in the 66th minute when Juande collided with City’s Florin Berenguer, with his lower right leg seemingly snapped in half.

A disturbing crack was heard on impact as paramedics rushed to the player’s aid. Players kept a sheet around their colleague while he was being treated.

The game was suspended for almost half an hour while he was treated on the field.

Viewers have shrewd the time it took for medical transport while others were stunned that on-site ambulances are not mandatory in the sport, especially given the recent incident that saw Buffalo Bill star Damar Hamlin on the field collapsed.

Ambulances Victoria has not dispatched ambulances to A-League games since November 2018.

“I was literally meters from where it happened and I could hear the cracking, it was an awful sound,” A-League commentator Michael Zappone told Nine World of Sports.

“The players knew immediately what had happened. Melbourne City players run to the sidelines to call an ambulance.

“He’s going straight to the hospital. That sound is something you won’t forget.

“Everyone here in shock.”

A-League commissioner Greg O’Rourke confirmed that there was no longer a requirement to have an ambulance at A-League games.

“In November 2018, Ambulance Victoria’s in-patient ambulance services were discontinued and paramedics were installed at the stadium instead,” he told the show.

“Emergency physicians are physicians who specialize in emergency medicine because, as board specialists, they are able to provide a higher level of care than an EMT.

“This change was approved by the PFA in 2018 and has been policy in Victoria ever since. In all other states it is still common to have stationary ambulances.”

Players, including Juande’s compatriot Javi Lopez, were seen in tears after witnessing the incident.

“I don’t even want to look at that. This is awful,” said commentator Simon Hill.

“I would shout down the place. Maybe he’s just in shock.

“They’re going to put the towels around the Spaniard now, which I think is good because we don’t really need to see that.

“How a football season can change in the blink of an eye.”

Originally published as A-League 2023: Juande’s horrible broken leg overshadows Adelaide United’s draw with Melbourne City