Pitch of death: Footballers losing their lives in action
Ghanaian footballer Raphael Dwamena, aged 28, met a tragic end during a match in Albania's top league.
He collapsed on the pitch while playing for his club Egnatia. The incident unfolded during a weekend match on November 11.
The cause of death remains undisclosed.
While tragic, Dwamena is not the first footballer to have lost his life while playing the beautiful game.
Just this year, there have been similar cases of footballers dying on the football pitch. On February 15, Arne Espeel, a 25-year-old Belgian goalkeeper for Winkel Sport B, collapsed just moments after saving a penalty and was declared dead after being rushed to the hospital.
Croatian youth Martin Filipčić, aged 15, collapsed during a youth league match. After expressing discomfort to the referee, he collapsed while receiving medical attention, succumbing to an undisclosed condition on April 12.
36-year-old Brazilian player Deon associated with Bahia de Feira in Brazil, on August 9 collapsed during a training session. Despite immediate resuscitation attempts, paramedics confirmed his death at the training site.
These tragedies on the football pitch have been a repetition of history. June 26, marked the 20th anniversary of the tragic passing of Cameroonian midfielder Marc-Vivien Foé.
The Cameroonian legend on June 26, 2003, aged 28 collapsed and died in the 72nd minute of a FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final match against Colombia.
As far back as 1989, Samuel Okwaraji of Nigeria, during a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Angola in Lagos, collapsed and died on the field at the age of 25.
In August 2007, Spanish footballer Antonio Puerta suffered a cardiac arrest, collapsing in the penalty area during Sevilla’s La Liga fixture against Getafe. Puerta tragically lost consciousness and passed away at the age of 22.
While these stars were unlucky to have lost their lives on the pitch, a few others have survived after collapsing on the pitch.
Danish footballer Christian Eriksen survived after collapsing on the pitch in an official Euros tournament in June 2021. The midfielder now plays for English side Manchester United in the Premier League.
Former English footballer of Congolese descent, Fabrice Muamba also survived a collapse during a game for his club side Bolton Wanderers in the English Premier League in 2012.
Although Muamba survived, he could not continue his career after the incident.
