Summer’s ‘foul’ turns fatal for footballer

Manama 

The tragic death of 42-year-old Sehla resident, Moosa Ibrahim Sehlawi on Karana football ground has baffled the head coach and manager of Legends Soccer Academy, Zaher Asbool, who has trained many leading footballers of the Kingdom. 

Moosa, an employee of Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, succumbed to heatstroke while playing football on Wednesday night. He had come to the ground in his blue Porche car, which was still there yesterday at Legends Soccer Academy in Karana. 

A flabbergasted Zaher Asbool is cudgeling his brain on how to avoid such mishaps in future. 

Four months ago, the academy had invited first aid experts to train the footballers to handle emergency situations. But nobody could rescue Moosa, who collapsed on the ground about 10.30pm. 

According to Zaher Asbool, Moosa had been a regular face on the Karana ground, which is one of the highly sought-after grounds in the Kingdom. Moosa used to play twice a week here between 7pm and 11pm. But the head coach can’t believe the loss of such a talented player due to heatstroke. 

“This ground witnessed three deaths in last four years. All three were above 40 years old. People over 30s still think that they are as young as 20-year-old youths. When they play with the colts, these elders want to prove that they can compete with them. This may prove fatal,” Zaher Asbool said. 

“Some people eat heavy food and come to the ground. While some players feel thirsty, they drink soft drinks instead of water. The players don’t realise that all these habits might lead to serious health complications,” he said. 

The head coach highlighted that many players work hard throughout the day and tend to play games straight away without taking any break. “The players think that sports activities reduce their stress. But actually it puts physical stress on the body,” said Zaher Asbool, recalling another tragedy that occurred about one-and-a-half year ago on the same ground. 

He reminisced: “That player worked throughout night and he came to the football ground, without any break. At that time, he was the goalkeeper. He collapsed while drinking water.” 

Moreover, the grass in the ground is made of artificial materials like rubber as growing and maintaining natural grass is a costly affair in the Kingdom due to scarcity of water and scorching environment.

Asbool felt that football matches couldn’t be held on natural grass continuously for more than two-and-a-half hours. “So, we are using artificial grass. Since it is made of rubber, the grass absorbs heat. But the heat on the grass further increases due to regular movement of players. That’s why precaution is essential on such grounds especially during summer,” he explained. 

Meanwhile, he is planning to bring first aid trainers. Asbool also plans to keep an ambulance on standby at the venue. “We have five football pitches here. The venue gets crowded at dusk with at least 100 players on the ground. Right now, my concern is how to avert a tragedy here,” he added. 

The mortal remains of Moosa Ibrahim Sehlawi were laid to rest at a cemetery in Sehla yesterday at 4pm. He is survived by wife, two daughters and a son.