Footballer, 21, tragically dies after collapsing during top-flight match

06 March 2023 , 12:23

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Moustapha Sylla died after suffering a cardiac arrest during a match

A footballer has tragically died aged 21 after suffering a heart attack during a match in the Ivorian top flight.

Moustapha Sylla collapsed on the pitch when his club, Racing Club d'Abidjan, faced SOL FC in a league game on Sunday which they eventually won 3-1. Harrowing video footage from the Ivory Coast shows the left-sided defender taking several steps backwards before losing his balance and dropping down near the centre-circle.

Frightened team-mates and opposition players immediately called for the referee to stop the game. Club president Logossina Cisse confirmed to AFP that the 21-year-old had sadly died in an ambulance as emergency services rushed to try and save his life. "During his evacuation to the hospital, Moustapha died," Cisse said. "He arrived at the club last September and was only 21."

RC Abidjan added in a statement posted on their Twitter page: "Our defender Moustapha Sylla died this evening following an illness on the pitch during the RCA vs Sol FC match. Management sends sincere condolences to the family."

On Facebook, the Ivorian Football Federation paid tribute, as a post read: The President of the Ivorian Football Federation and his executive committee regret to announce the death of player Moustapha Sylla, left-back of the Racing Club of Abidjan, on Sunday, March 5, 2023, after falling on the lawn of the Robert Champroux stadium, during the match. Urgently transported to a hospital center, the 21-year-old player unfortunately succumbed to his discomfort.

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"In these moments of pain and emotion, the FIF sends its most saddened condolences to the family of the deceased, the leaders and players of the Racing Club of Abidjan, as well as to the Ivorian football family. The FIF asks everyone to pray for the rest of his soul.

Sylla joined RC Abidjan last September from Malian side Djoliba AC. The Ivorian club were crowned national champions in 2020, just a year after winning promotion to the first division, and are currently seventh in the league table.

RC Abidjan have a partnership with French side Nice, acting as a feeder club to the Ligue 1 outfit in order to give talented African players a pathway into Europe. Their shirt sponsor, INEOS - the chemical company founded by Manchester-born tycoon Sir Jim Ratcliffe - is the same as Nice's.

Nathan Ridley