Hayatou mourns late Oniya

 

Late Oniya

"TO die on a football field while practising your profession and doing what you are passionate at is something really afflicting. In these painful moments, my thoughts go firstly to the family of the deceased, his loved ones, his teammates and the Nigerian football community. This tragic departure on a football field is once more a warning to us and confirms the need for us to support medical research in order to understand and thwart this tendency of sudden death with footballers, some of which play at the high level", the President of the Confederation of African Football, Issa Hayatou, stated.

David Oniya, 30, died last Saturday, 13 June 2015, in Kota Bharu - Malaysia. According to Agence France Presse, quoting the local press, the centre midfielder from Nigeria collapsed just three minutes after the start of the friendly match that pitted his club, T-Team, against Kelantan, in Kota Bharu. He had not yet touched the ball.

Taken to the hospital, he was pronounced dead about thirty minutes later. When his death was announced, the friendly was interrupted at the 60th minute. According to the President of his club, David Oniya died of heart attack.

Before playing in Malaysia, David Oniya, professional footballer of about ten years, played particularly in Azerbaïdjan and Ouzbékistan.