Ajax Midfielder Abdelhak Nouri's Condition is Improving After Coma, Brother Says

Abdelhak Nouri collapsed during a friendly more than a year ago and suffered severe brain damage.

AMSTERDAM (AP) – The condition of Ajax midfielder Abdelhak Nouri is improving, more than a year after he collapsed during a friendly match and suffered severe brain damage.

In an interview with Dutch national broadcaster NOS that aired over the weekend, Nouri's brother said the family has not given up hope of a full recovery.

Abderrahim Nouri said that after initially being in a coma, his brother has been gradually improving since the start of this year and he can now communicate with his family by moving his mouth or eyebrows.

''If I compare it with the past, at the moment it's going well. Much better,'' Abderrahim Nouri said.

However, he added that his brother's physical condition has deteriorated since his collapse because of his lack of movement.

Nouri, a promising midfielder who rose through the Ajax youth system, was 20 when he collapsed last July during a preseason match against Werder Bremen.

In June, Ajax said he did not receive adequate treatment on the field and accepted liability for the consequences.