By Eniola Olatunji reporting for Patmos Media Line
…Malian Player Escapes Terrible Injury, Falls on His Neck.
THE SAD moment came at the Group A pulsating opener between the Eagles of Mali and the Chipolopolo of Zambia when a fan got a heart attack called Cardiac arrest by Medical Doctors at the stands and reportedly died after 24-year-old El Bilal Toure of Beskistas missed a penalty kick at 42nd minute of the encounter.
Just as the unknown supporter of Mali was rushed to the medical center of the stadium, Mali scored the opener through Lassine Sinayoko in the 61st minute.
Unfortunately, Eagles of Mali ranked 53 in the world nursing a hope of beating Zambia had that dashed in the added time of 90+2 minutes when Patson Daka rose above all players to head in an equalizer from a Mathew Banda cross .
Daka’s act would have created the second disaster as he landed on his neck but resumed play after being attended to by the Zambian medical team. The picture of that fall is the cover photo of this news.
AFCON organizers and the ruling body Confederation of African Football (CAF) were yet to give official comments on the two incidents as at Press time especially disclosing of the identity of the Malian fan who laid down his life for football.
At the last tournament in Ivory Coast, a rich Nigerian Business man suffered heart attack and was declared BID which in medical terms mean Brought In Dead at the Medical Center of the stadium. CAF then counseled fans with medical issues like heart problems to avoid watching football until they are declared fit by their Medical Doctors.
Patmos Media recalls that the late African Pillar of Sports, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola who owned the now defunct Abiola Babes of Nigeria told the media that he abstained from attending live football matches to keep alive for according to him, to treat his high blood pressure.
Both Mali and Zamia lie at the middle of Group A table with a point each earned from the draw; Morocco tops the group with maximum three points victory over Comoros that rocks the bottom of the table.
#AFCON25 #CAF #FRMC #FFC #NFF.
