'I died at a football match but CPR saved me'

Lincoln City FC fan, Michael Bull, is encouraging others to learn CPR after he suffered a cardiac arrest at a football match in 2018

A football fan who almost died after he had a cardiac arrest at his home ground has encouraged others to learn life-saving CPR.

Michael Bull, 69, fell seriously ill at a Lincoln City football match in 2018 when he collapsed in the car park.

He has joined the national campaign Every Minute Matters which aims to teach people the emergency procedure.

Mr Bull told the BBC that cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) "can literally save a life."

Mr Bull said he had watched his team beat Exeter City 3-2 at Sincil Bank when he blacked out in the car park.

A friend found him and called for help, and within 30 seconds nearby police officers were performing CPR.

Other first responders and paramedics later used a defibrillator on him.

'I was dead'

The decades-long Imps fan told the BBC that "for about eight minutes nothing was happening."

Mr Bull added: "I was dead. The fact my friend found me straight away, probably within a minute, and the police were there another 30 seconds later and started CPR, that's what saved my life.

"Having the confidence to do it can literally save a life. I'm here and I wouldn't have been. It's that important."

Lincoln City FC captain, Paudie O'Connor, has been taught CPR techniques

Lincoln City FC invited Mr Bull to the club stadium to meet the team's captain, Paudie O'Connor, who described the impact of learning CPR as "massive".

He said: "It's quite straightforward. It's not rocket science but being able to do it can, literally, save a life. It can go a long way."

The Every Minute Matters campaign was launched by Sky Bet in partnership with the British Heart Foundation in May.

Since then, nearly 150,000 people have been taught how to use CPR, a spokesperson said.

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