As juicy as the round leather game of football is, yet its casualties is definitely one sad occurrence that still worries the mind and soul of every football-loving enthusiast because those casualties has indeed stolen a lot from African football and to some extent in Europe, perhaps isn’t that rampant compared to the kind of casualties Africa has experienced.
In the past few years, there have been a number of African players who have died while playing for their country or club as a professional footballer, perhaps the most high profile incidents is that of Cheick Tiote and Fabrice Muamba, who survived his own casualty by whisk and it’s still very fresh in our memories, however, there are still many casualties that involved African players who died on the pitch while doing what they know how to do best.
So in this piece, Cheapgoals look back in time to bring you African players who died on the pitch while playing or training for their country or club side.
- 1. Cheick Tiote – Ivory Coast/Beijing Enterprises
- 2. Moise Apanga – Gabon/FC 105 Libreville
- 3. Patrick Ekeng – Cameroon/Dinamo Bucuresti
- 4. Idrissa Derme – Burkina Faso/CA Bastia
- 5. David Oniya – Nigeria/T-Team
- 6. Emmanuel Ogoli – Nigeria/Ocean Boys
- 7. Endurance Idahor – Nigeria/Al-Merreikh
- 8. Bob Elejiko – Nigeria/K.Merksem SC
- 9. Sekou Camara – Mali/Bandung Raya
- 10. Chaswa Nsofwa – Zambia/Hapoel Beer Sheva
- 11. Henry Chinonso Ihelewere – Nigeria/Delta Tulcea FC
- 12. Marc-Vivien Foe – Cameroon/Lyon
- 13. Amir Angwe – Nigeria/Julius Berger
- 14. Hadi Berkhissa – Tunisia/Esperance
- 15. Sam Okwaraji – Nigeria/SSV Ulm
1. Cheick Tiote – Ivory Coast/Beijing Enterprises
Tiote as a young footballer who really wants to achieve success was tutored at FC Bibo in his hometown of Yamoussoukro before he now moved to Anderlecht in Belgium and he made his professional debut in 2005 with Belgian side.
The Ivorian was well known at Newcastle for his exuberant play from the middle of the pack, Tiote joined the Magpies in 2010, for a fee of £3.5 million, after he was granted a work permit, and he made his debut against Everton at Goodison Park completing over 64 passes, two interceptions, and he also completed all five of his attempted tackles.
Although Tioté did have stint in the Eredivise with JC Roda and FC Twente, however the best of the Ivorian was seen with the Magpies as he went on to become a favourite player among the Newcastle supporters.
In 2017, Tioté joined China League One side Beijing Enterprises for an undisclosed fee when he left Newcastle, but unfortunately for the Ivorian, the marriage between him and his Chinese club didn’t last long as death snatched him away on the 5th June 2017 during a training session with his club after suffering a cardiac arrest
2. Moise Apanga – Gabon/FC 105 Libreville
The Ivory Coast-born and Gabonese footballer Apanga might not be as popular as Tiote was, but then one thing that surely made them well-known is death.
Apanga died on April 26, 2017, having suffered a heart attack while also training with his club side, a situation which looks similar to what happened to the Ivorian Cheick Tiote
3. Patrick Ekeng – Cameroon/Dinamo Bucuresti
The Cameroonian professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder for Dinamo Bucuresti died on May 6, 2016, Ekang came on as a second-half substitute in a well-televised match against Viitorul Constanta.
Prior to the match, Ekeng had been fatigued that day and told his best friend that he did not want to play, and seven minutes after his entrance, with his team-leading 3-2, he collapsed on the pitch and was transported and resuscitated at the hospital, but unfortunately for Ekeng and Dinamo, he was confirmed dead by the medical staff.
After the death of Ekeng, an investigation was made by the Romanian interior ministry, due to reports of professional neglect which contributed to his death, and it was revealed that the ambulance used to convey Ekeng when he collapsed had faulty equipments and expired medicine, which led to the company license been suspended for 30 days and they were fined 23,800 Romanian lei, even the Doctor on ground to resuscitate Ekeng was charged with manslaughter for failing to revive the Cameroonian midfielder.
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4. Idrissa Derme – Burkina Faso/CA Bastia
Derme started his football career in Burkina Faso before he went out of his country to join Sheriff Tiraspol where he had a breathtaking performance with the Moldovan outfit, he also had a stint with US Ouagadougou, USC Corte, CA Bastia, EF Bastia, and AJ Biguglia.
He only had three caps for his national team, between 2006 to 2010, unfortunately for Derme who perhaps could have played for his country if death hasn’t snatched him away from the hands of his loved one.
Dermé died on 11 September 2016 following a heart attack during the 2016-17 Coupe de France match
5. David Oniya – Nigeria/T-Team
Oniya wasn’t known for playing for the big clubs in the European scene, however, in mid-2007, he moved to Uzbekistan, where he signed a contract with Dinamo Samarqand and he played over four seasons with Dinamo Samarqand and went on to become the team captain.
In 2011, Bunyodkor signed Oniya but only spent a season with them, and he left Bunyodkor in 2012 before the start of the season he signed for Sogdiana Jizzakh for the first half of the year and then later joined Buxoro in the summer of 2012.
In early 2014, Oniya signed for Neftchi Fergana, but he couldn’t pass the medical examination and he wasn’t allowed to be registered by the Uzbekistan Football Federation, however that unpalatable event didn’t affect Oniya’s confidence as he went on to sign for T-Team.
Oniya gave up the ghost after collapsing on the pitch in Malaysia during a friendly match between his club T-Team and Kelantan as the trend of footballers’ death toll continued.
6. Emmanuel Ogoli – Nigeria/Ocean Boys
Only a few football enthusiasts and perhaps fans of Ocean Boys will know much about the former left-back, as his demise rocked the Ocean Boys management and the team at large.
Ogoli died in 2010 while playing for his team Ocean Boys, he collapsed on the pitch and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Ogoli also had a stint with Bayelsa United when he was still alive, and his death in 2010 brought the question to the fore again that when would this death toll of players end?
7. Endurance Idahor – Nigeria/Al-Merreikh
Idahor was well-known in then NPL now NPFL for his scoring exploits with Julius Berger and with Dolphins FC in 2005, and in 2006 he left the NPL to the Sudanese league to join Al-Merrikh, but he was later sent out on loan to Al-Nasr for 7 months.
Following Idahor return to Sudan, he became a key player in the squad, and he went on to become the top scorer and led his team to their first Caf Confederation Cup final since 1989, the Nigerian forward also played for the U23 side.
On March 10, 2010, Idahor collapsed during a league match for his club and later died on his way to the hospital.
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8. Bob Elejiko – Nigeria/K.Merksem SC
The unknown Nigerian played his football with relatively unknown club sides, Elejiko had played with FSV Wacker Nordhausen, KV Turnhout, KVC Westerlo, Royal Antwerp, Beira-Mar, Deinze, and Red Star Waasland.
Elejiko also had trials with Carl Zeiss Jena in Germany, also in England with Crewe Alexandra, Gillingham, and Roosendaal, but unfortunately for the Nigerian, he couldn’t convince all of the clubs to offer him a contract.
Elejiko collapsed while playing in a fifth tier match with his teammate against FC Kaart a team from Antwerp region, and on November 13, 2011, despite being resuscitated from the pitch side, he was pronounced dead and the cause of his death was said to be a traumatic rupture of the aorta.
9. Sekou Camara – Mali/Bandung Raya
The Malian who was nicknamed McCarthy also continued the death toll of African players who died while playing for their country or club side, Camara died of a heart attack while training for his club with his teammates in the Indonesian league on July 27, 2013.
Camara died at the age of 27, perhaps it hasn’t given up the ghost he could have turned out for the Malian national team at the Afcon.
10. Chaswa Nsofwa – Zambia/Hapoel Beer Sheva
Nsofwa got the chance to play for the Isreali side following his trial with them in 2007 when he scored two goals in two games during the Toto Cup, and that prolific performance led to the club offering him a contract.
His first match for the Isreali side was a successful outing, as he went on to score two goals replicating the kind of form he showed when he was under trial, and that superb performance got him much praises from the fans of the team
Nsofwa died on August 29, 2007, due to sudden heart failure during a match against Maccabi Beersheva aftermath of his death, his number six jersey was retired in the honor of the Zambian.
11. Henry Chinonso Ihelewere – Nigeria/Delta Tulcea FC
Ihelewere was just 21 years of age when he died while playing for his team in the Romanian league, the young Nigerian collapsed with no one around him after coming on as a second-half substitute in just 15 minutes of play.
The midfielder had been playing in Romania since 2007 after he collapsed he was taken to the hospital but he never regained consciousness.
Ihelewere who was described by his childhood friend Ogenyi Onazi and his former manager as a jovial player also had a stint with Plateau Riders before traveling to Europe to play for Delta Tulcea FC before his untimely death.
12. Marc-Vivien Foe – Cameroon/Lyon
The Cameroonian international footballer who played as a midfielder for both club and country had success in France and England’s Premier League before his sudden death during an international match which shocked the football community worldwide.
Aftermath of Foé’s death, his wife Marie-Louise stated that he had been ill with gastric problems and dysentery before his final match, but he was adamant to play the match against Colombia, even the manager of the Cameroonian team wanted to substitute him minutes before his collapse after observing that the player seemed fatigued, but he signaled that he wanted to continue
After Foe was confirmed dead, an autopsy was made in other to determine the exact cause of his death, however, they couldn’t find the cause of his death, but a second autopsy concluded that Foé’s death was heart-related as it discovered evidence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
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13. Amir Angwe – Nigeria/Julius Berger
Julius Berger had reached the final of the African Cup Winners Cup on a Saturday when the unfortunate incident occurred, and the celebrations of the club faithful were cut short by the death of their forward.
The dogged forward Angwe, became the first casualty in the Nigeria League when he mysteriously passed out in a match involving his team at the Onikan Stadium on October 29, 1995.
The aftermath of his death, the officials of the team he played for claimed that the former BCC Lions goal scorer was as fit as a fiddle before he was picked to play the match.
14. Hadi Berkhissa – Tunisia/Esperance
The Tunisian defender was just 18 years old when he made his first appearance for Esperance, in a dream debut in 1991 against local rival Club Africain with the game ending in a draw.
In the subsequent derby, he scored his first league goal against Club Africain, as his team came on victorious with 2-0, before his death with the Tunis outfit, Berkhissa made over 98 league appearances for the club, scoring nine goals and he also made 13 appearances in the Tunisian Cup with 24 appearances to his name in the Caf Competition.
Berkhissa had a heart attack on the field of play in the last minutes of the game he was involved in between Esperance and Olympique Lyon of France on January 4, 1997.
15. Sam Okwaraji – Nigeria/SSV Ulm
Sam exploits at the AFCON in 1988 where he scored the fastest goal in the history of the competition against Cameroon it’s still very fresh in the mind of every football-loving Nigerian enthusiast.
Okwaraji’s death came as a shock to his teammates in then Green Eagles squad in August 12, 1989, when he collapsed ten minutes from the end of a 1990 World Cup qualifier against Angola at the National Stadium in Lagos, he died from possible complications of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as an autopsy showed that the 25-year-old as at then had an enlarged heart and high blood pressure before the match.
Okwaraji was known to have a Masters in Law from the University of Rome, Italy, perhaps if not for his untimely death he could have gone on to be one of the best solicitors for young players who are just climbing up the ladder in the business of football.
