Trending 
Katsina United have confirmed the death of newly signed player Chinedu Uzor, who collapsed during a pre-season friendly against Niger Tornadoes on Tuesday.
The club confirmed his death in a statement on Wednesday, dismissing reports that the footballer regained consciousness after being pronounced dead.
Uzor collapsed while playing for Katsina United against Niger Tornadoes at the Gusau/Ahlan Pre-season Cup at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina.
The club said Uzor was taken to the state General Hospital after the incident and later moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after his family refused to give up hope that he could still survive.
Katsina United said reports that the player regained consciousness at the morgue were false, explaining that the family’s hope had been misunderstood as evidence that he was still alive.
The club said the family had desperately hoped that Uzor might survive despite the circumstances, but stressed that he never regained consciousness and had died.
It acknowledged the pain surrounding the situation, saying Uzor’s teammates, friends and the entire club were grieving alongside his family.
A few hours after the incident, Katsina United media officer Nasir Gibe had told TheCable that Uzor was taken to two hospitals and pronounced dead by doctors.
Gibe said uncertainty arose after some relatives reported seeing movements in the player’s hands and insisted that he could still be alive and should be taken to the ICU.
“They were a family desperately hoping that somehow, against all odds, their loved one was still with them,” the statement reads.
“He did not regain consciousness. He passed away.
“We know how difficult this is to accept. We know many people are still trying to process what happened. His teammates are grieving. His friends are grieving. The club is grieving. And somewhere, a family is facing a pain that words cannot begin to describe,” it added.
Jerome Ochigbo, Uzor’s childhood friend, also confirmed the footballer’s death to TheCable.
Ochigbo said Uzor showed no signs of consciousness after spending 24 hours in the ICU before his body was eventually transferred to the morgue.
He added that Uzor’s brother would retrieve the body for transportation to Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State, where the footballer had built a house for his mother, wife and children.
Ochigbo also said Uzor had no known underlying health condition before the incident.
Uzor previously played for Kano Pillars before joining Katsina United ahead of the upcoming Nigeria Premier Football League season.
