Football is a physical game. There may be injuries, some brutal ones, but losing a life is an entirely different horror. The history of the game presents some tragic moments which almost shook the world. One such event occurred again.

Recently, Nigerian football witnessed a death on the pitch during the memory. Such events are not easily forgotten and they stay for a really long time.

Lightening takes life on the football pitch

In a friendly game in Nigeria, the referee Mustapha Bello, who was officiating the match, was struck by lightning and was dead on the spot. It was an unexpected event that shocked the football community. 

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As per the news, Mustapha was officiating a match between Suleja and Madalla. The weather was really bad. Still, the game went on. Football matches can be played in bad weather, but suddenly lightning struck, and all that fatal electric power came straight at Mustapha. He instantly lost his life. 

Not only Mustapha but the lineman was also struck by lightning. Both were taken to the hospital and fortunately, the lineman escaped death.

An eyewitness explained the whole tragedy, “It was raining and all the footballers along with their fans were taken refuge inside the school’s classrooms. The referee along with his assistant (lineman) rushed back to the field, demanding the players to join them.

“They were only at the centre of the pitch when the thunder struck. Two of them were rushed to a hospital, where Sulaiman was confirmed dead on arrival while his assistant was revived”

This was not the only time a referee has lost his life, football has many dark incidents in the books. There was one incident in Brazil where the referee was lynched in broad daylight.

da Silva, beaten to death after Stabbing a Player, all in the heat of the Match

While officiating in an amateur game in Brazil in 2013, da Silva stabbed a player after he refused to walk out when he was given a card. The player was Santos Abreu who died on his way to the hospital. However, if this was not wild enough, the friends and family confronted da Silva and he was lynched on the football field as retaliation.

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In any case, death is always a tragedy as a family loses a member, and the lightning incident will always be remembered with a heavy heart. The Nigerian Federation and the family of the referee will hope to recover soon from the loss.

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