Follow Us on Google
Nigerian ex-footballer, Abiola Dauda has recounted how a club in Belarus tried to “scare” him during a medical so he would accept a contract allegedly written on toilet paper, citing concerns over his heart condition.
Dauda, who is now a talent scout, disclosed this in an X post on Monday.
The forward, who played in Sweden, Serbia, Belarus, among others, said the incident happened during medical tests with Dinamo Minsk and was linked to two heart findings common among West African athletes: thickness of the heart muscle and a “T-wave minus” on EKG readings.
Speaking on his career experience, Dauda said the issue first came up in 2008 after he joined Swedish side Kalmar FF, his first professional club.
“After I joined Kalmar FF my first professional club, during my medical test they discovered that I have what is called thickness of the heart which is very common among people in the west African countries,” he said.
“Another discovery was that during my EKG rest test they found that my heartbeat is T-wave minus which is also not common in European countries but it is majorly common in west African countries.”
Dauda said he played his entire career without issues but had to undergo annual tests to monitor the condition.
“My first test was in 2008 and I was able to play all my career without any problems but I had to do test every year to see how the thickness is time to time,” he stated.
The 38-year-old added that Kalmar’s coach initially preferred to use him as a substitute.
“At first my coach in Kalmar FF then said I could play 90min football and you can find this information on my Wikipedia page. The coach thought it’s best for me to be a substitute player since he believed my heart situation would be a problem even if the doctor says otherwise.
“It was a frustrating experience for me when the coach said I couldn’t play for 90min. I took my heart thing very seriously and I stayed away from anything that could give me problem to play,” Dauda said.
He disclosed that the situation changed after two years. “After two years everything changed and the coach started giving me 90min games and I felt very good.”
Dauda said the same heart findings resurfaced during medicals before he signed for Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade.
“Another incident about my heart issue also came out when I did my medical test before I signed for Red Star Belgrade and the doctor said I had heart problem and because I already knew I have thickness of the heart muscle and a T-wave minus, I wasn’t scared at all,” he stated.
According to Dauda, the club reduced the length and value of the deal because of the report.
He explained, “This was also the major reason why the agreed 2-year half contract with Red Star was shortened to 1year and half and of course the money offered thinking I wouldn’t be able to play well but God’s plan was bigger than theirs.
“The medical took 3 days and I was given a heart monitor to sleep with for those days and after all research I was declared fit to play.”
Dauda said his most troubling experience came in Belarus with Dinamo Minsk.
“The biggest issue I had with my heart condition was in Belarus during my medical with Dinamo Minsk. They scared me into thinking I have a problem so I can take the contract they wrote on a toilet paper,” he alleged.
The forward did not state whether he eventually signed the contract.
Dauda said he shared his story to educate young African players about cardiac screening, which often flags conditions common in West Africans.
