Choirul Huda, Indonesia's goalkeeper dies after collision with teammate
Choirul Huda, goalkeeper for Indonesia's top division club Persela FC, has died following a horrific collision with a teammate during a league match. Huda, 38, collapsed after an accidental clash with Brazilian defender Ramon Rodrigues. He was seen clutching his chest in pain before being rushed to hospital where he was declared dead. According to doctors, Huda suffered a cardiac arrest.
Persela pays tribute to Huda
Huda had played for Persela FC since 1999 and made more than 500 appearances for the club. Paying tribute to the player, the club described Huda as "The Real Legend" in a Twitter post. Thousands of fans attended a candlelit vigil to honour the goalkeeper. Football world also offered their condolences which included the likes of Manchester United's Paul Pogba.
Initial analysis suggested possible head and neck trauma
After being taken to the hospital, doctors tried to revive Huda for almost an hour but could not be saved. The doctor's initial analysis suggested that the veteran player suffered possible "neck and head trauma from the impact to his chest and lower jaw," during the on-field collision. This resulted in him "stopping breathing and a cardiac arrest."
Football tragedies in recent times
Earlier this June, former Newcastle United player Cheick Tiote, collapsed during training with Chinese club Beijing Enterprises and died suffering a cardiac arrest. In May 2016, Malaysian-Australian goalkeeper Stefan Petrovski died at a young age of 18 after being struck by lightning during training.
