Lecce player Lameck Banda collapsed during the final minutes of the 2-1 defeat to Napoli, but reports from the club are reassuring on his condition.
The wide forward was in the starting XI for the Salentini at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, a game his team had been leading through Jamil Siebert before Rasmus Hojlund and Matteo Politano turned it around.
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Banda collapse worrying for Lecce and Napoli
NAPLES, ITALY – MARCH 14: Miguel Gutierrez of SSC Napoli battles for possession with Lameck Banda of US Lecce during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and US Lecce at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on March 14, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
In the final minutes of the Serie A fixture, Napoli coach Antonio Conte spotted that Banda was struggling to breathe, as he was in the vicinity of the touchline, and immediately alerted the Lecce medical staff.
A hushed silence fell over the crowd as medics ran on to provide assistance, then after a few minutes he was stretchered off and taken to a nearby ambulance on the side of the pitch for tests.
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According to DAZN Italia, Banda sustained a knock to the chest around 40 seconds before he collapsed, so was badly winded and struggling to breathe.
He never appeared to lose consciousness, and initial reports from the touchline are reassuring on his condition.
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