nigerian player dies in romania

Chinonso Ihelewere

A Nigerian player, Henry Chinonso Ihelewere, has died after suffering a cardiac arrest during a friendly match between Romanian second division teams CS Delta Tulcea and FC Balotesti on Sunday.

Delta’s Ihelewere, 21, collapsed with no-one around him only 15 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute. The game was played in the town of Baltoesti, north of Bucharest.

He was taken to hospital but he never regained consciousness. The striker had been playing in Romania since 2007 when he joined Farul Constanta. He later moved to Tulcea in 2010.

“What can I say? We’re all shocked,” Universitatea Cluj boss Cristian Dulca, who previously coached the Nigerian, was quoted as saying. “It’s a tragic day for Romanian football.

“I trained him for a year and a half and I can tell you he was a real example in training. He could’ve become a very good player.”

Report said the player was given CPR for over an hour but never regained consciousness. Doctor John Tanase reported that his heart had stopped and CPR was carried out from 12.05 until 13.12. Ambulances arrived 3 minutes after being called. Bogdan Oprita, head of the local ambulance service, told national news agencyAgerpres that the FC Tulcea player’s cause of death would be determined by an autopsy.

Ihelewere’s death added to a list of Nigerian players who have died in similar circumstances. In 2011, Bobsam Elejiko of fifth-tier Belgian club, Merksem, collapsed and died during a match against FC Kaart.

On August 12 1989, Samuel Okwaraji, died at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, during a World Cup qualifying match between Nigeria and Angola. Six years later, Amir Angwe, 29, joined the list. He died while playing for Julius Berger against Maxaquene of Mozambique in CAF competition at the Onikan Stadium. Doctors blamed cardiac arrest for his death.

On March 6, 2010, former Berger player, Endurance Idahor, collapsed while starring for Al-Merreikh and died on his way to the hospital in Sudan. He was until his death Al-Merreikh’s leading striker with 46 goals in 62 matches.