Practise session of the Taifa Cup holders Kindai Shooting Stars, the Singida regional soccer team came to a shuddering halt following a sudden death of player Nassoro Issa (19) at the football pitch, yesterday.
He mysteriously died during a practice session ahead of the Taifa Cup kick off on Saturday.
Tanzania Football Federation information officer Boniface Wambura confirmed of the playerís sudden demise of the player at the Mwenge Secondary School ground.
It was during the afternoon when the regional team which prepares to defend its Taifa Cup title took to the Mwenge Secondary School pitch for training when the
Aston Villa player did not feel well only to seek permission from coach Abdallah Msamba.
Msamba then accepted the playersí request to take a simple rest under the tree close to the ground.
According to the Singida Region Football Associationís (SIREFA) secretary general Hussein Mwamba, Issa asked to be served with a glass of water.
As the team doctor was called to assist him he only found he was already dead.
Issa had previously represented Singida region during the 2009 Copa Coca-Cola championship.
Funeral arrangements are underway and possibly he would be buried in Singida today as the teamís practice session came to a halt.
TFF has received the death of the young player with profound shock as the loss has backpedaled soccer promotion efforts, so says Wambura.
This is the second time for a player to die during a football activity with the first being Simbaís Hussein Tindwa in 1980. Tindwa who was Simbaís centre back died shortly before halt time during African Club championship first leg match against visiting Nigerian Racca Rovers at the Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
The biggest shock of football deaths include Cameroonís Marc Vivien Foe who died during the Confederations Cup semifinal match versus Cameroon in Lyon on June 26, 2003.
He was part of the Cameroon squad for the FIFA Confederations Cup, a tournament played between continental champions. He played in wins against Brazil and Turkey, and was rested for the match against the United States, with Cameroon having already qualified. On 26 June 2003, Cameroon faced Colombia in the semi-final, held at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, France.
In the 72nd minute of the match FoÈ collapsed in the centre circle, with no other players near him. After attempts to resuscitate him on the pitch, he was stretchered off the field, where he received mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and oxygen. Medics spent 45 minutes attempting to restart his heart, and although he was still alive upon arrival at the stadium’s medical centre he died shortly afterwards, in spite of the efforts to save his life.
A first autopsy did not determine an exact cause of death, but a second autopsy concluded that FoÈ’s death was heart-related as it discovered evidence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a hereditary condition known to increase the risk of sudden death during physical exercise.
FoÈ’s death caused a profound shock. Numerous tributes to his joyous personality and infectious humour were expressed in the media. Also Thierry Henry and other players pointed to the sky in tribute to FoÈ after Henry had opened the scoring against Turkey in France’s Confederations Cup semi-final that evening.
