REMEMBERING OUR AFRICAN HEROES WHO UNFORTUNATELY DIED WHILE PLAYING ACTIVE FOOTBALL ⚽ 1. MARC VIVIEN FOE 🇨🇲 It is 22 years to the day since former West Ham United favourite Marc-Vivien Foé tragically passed away at the age of just 28. The midfielder collapsed while playing for his country, Cameroon, against Colombia in the semi-finals of the FIFA Confederations Cup at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, France, on 26 June 2003. 2. CHIECK TIOTE 🇨🇮 On Monday, 5th June 2017, the world of soccer received a huge blow after it was announced that the Ivorian Midfielder "TIOTE" had collapsed in China and instantly died on a field of play in a training session. 3. CHRISTIAN ATSU 🇬🇭 Christian Atsu, the Ghana international forward who played for Premier League clubs Chelsea and Newcastle, had died in an earthquake in Turkey at the age of 31. Search teams recovered Atsu's body in the ruins of a luxury 12-story building where he had been living in the city of Antakya, Hatay province. 4. LUKE FLEURS 🇿🇦 South African footballer Luke Fleurs was shot dead in a car hijacking on 4th April in 2024. The shooting took place at a petrol station on Wednesday night in the Johannesburg suburb of Florida. The 24-year-old Kaizer Chiefs star was waiting to be attended to when he was approached by unknown gunmen, who ordered him to get out of the vehicle. 5. CHASWE NSOFWA 🇿🇲 Chaswe Ronald Nsofwa was a Zambian international footballer who played as a striker. He died during a training match in Be'er Sheva, Israel. 6. SENZO MEYIWA 🇿🇦 On 26 October 2014, Meyiwa was shot and killed in a robbery at his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo's house in Vosloorus. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital in Johannesburg. 7. MAMADOU CAMARA 🇸🇳 FRENCH football was plunged into mourning - after a player died from a heart attack on the pitch. USON Mondeville defender Mamadou Camara, 26, collapsed in training on a Friday afternoon and while emergency services and club staff raced to his aid, they were unable to save him. 8. JUSTIN SHONGA 🇿🇲 The 27-year-old striker passed away on Sunday at Sikanze Police Hospital after battling a short, undisclosed illness. 9. CHINEME MARTINS 🇳🇬 Chineme Martins collapsed and died during a match due to the lack of adequate medical facilities at the stadium, according to a report on FIFPro.org. The court ruled that the club, league, and federation were negligent in his death. 10. RAPHAEL DWAMENA 🇬🇭 On 11 November 2023, Dwamena collapsed into sudden cardiac arrest on the field in the 23rd minute of the first half of the round 13 match between Egnatia and Partizani in the Kategoria Superiore, and died on the way to Kavajë Hospital, aged 28. 11. SAMUEL OKWARAJI 🇳🇬 He collapsed and died of congestive heart failure in the 77th minute of a World Cup qualification match against Angola at the Lagos National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos State on 12 August 1989. 12. PAPY FATY 🇸🇿 Papy Faty, a former Burundi international and Bidvest Wits midfielder, died after collapsing during a match in Swaziland (now eSwatini) on April 25, 2019. He was playing for Malanti Chiefs against Green Mamba when he collapsed on the field. The 28-year-old had a known heart condition and had previously experienced collapses while playing. 13. GOFAONE TIRO 🇧🇼 The 26-year-old Francistown born winger “inadvertently” collapsed during the team’s morning training in Tlokweng and was rushed to a nearby health facility where he was confirmed dead on arrival. 14. ZAMBIA NATIONAL TEAM (1993 SQUAD) 27th April 1993, the entire national football team of Zambia perished when their plane crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Libreville, Gabon. UNCLELUCKY