Indonesian football has been rocked by the passing of one its players, Choirul Huda, during an on-field collision with a team-mate.
The 38-year-old, who had played his career at Indonesia Super League outfit Persela, collided with defender Ramon Rodrigues towards the end of the first half against Semen Padang.
The goalkeeper rushed off his line to smother an attacking move from the opposition, but was unable to avoid his defender who was rushing back to clear his lines.
The keeper was conscious immediately after the incident, holding his cheeks and looking dazed on the floor, but the situation became critical.
‘He was still conscious and complained of pain in the chest,’ one member of the medical team told Surya. ‘Then he fell unconscious.’
Medics tended to Huda after the collision and rushed to put him on a stretcher before he was driven away in an ambulance to the Regional General Hospital in Lamongan.
Huda was declared dead at 5pm local time, surrounded by the Persela squad who were with him at the hospital.
Persela head coach Aji Santoso confirmed afterwards that he had died at hospital and said his passing had impacted the team hugely.