News

Experts Reveal Why People Die While Watching Football Match

Published

2 years ago

February 9, 2024

Five Nigerians died on Wednesday while watching the semi-final match between Super Eagles of Nigeria and Bafana Bafana of South Africa at the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

The match was tense and a lot of Nigerians became emotional and nervous due to some highlights including Victor Osimhen’s cancelled goal, Ola Aina’s penalty miss, awarding a penalty to South Africa, and other moments, leading to the demise of fans.

Some medical experts spoke to Vanguard after the losses, revealing what could make people lose their lives watching such a tense football game.

Below are a few medical conditions that cause death during tense matches:

1. Heart attack and stroke
Consultant Cardiologist at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Dr Ramon Moronkola, attributed the spate of sudden death while watching a football match to either a heart attack or a stroke.

“For people that develop heart failure for example or those that have had what is called Ischemic Heart Disease, which is some form of blockage in their heart before, any form of excitement can tilt such people towards a heart attack,” Moronkola said.

2. Excitement and grief
Moronkola said grief or excitement could cause sudden death, particularly if there was an underlying medical issue that is diagnosed or undiagnosed.

“People can die suddenly as a result of grief or excitement. For those who die as a result of excitement, usually, there is an underlying cardiovascular issue, either known or unknown to the individual.

“Some people are also prone to developing what are called arrhythmias when there is an emotional surge.

“Arrhythmias means the heart is beating abnormally and goes into an abnormal rhythm, and that can also lead to sudden death.”

Also speaking, the President of the Nigerian Cardiac Society, Prof Augustine Odili, said: “My heartfelt sympathy to the family. We just confirmed that a Nigerian who lives in Cote d’Ivoire also died in the field yesterday. We confirmed that he hails from Anambra state, a businessman.

“The possibility is that they might have had what people call heart attack, which is known to be caused by the expression of emotions.

“Again, it is also important to talk about how each of them died, and at what point. Two of them I learnt died when the Nigerian player scored a goal and the goal was disqualified and then South Africa scored and the penalty shootout.”

Prevention

On what individuals can do to prevent such unexpected occurrences of sudden death, Moronkola said everyone should undergo regular health checks, even as he called for immediate resuscitation of emergency response and preparedness approaches in Nigeria.

He said, “There is nothing that can be beyond regular checks even if you have no symptoms and don’t feel any pain, it is good to check. It is when there is no war that you prepare for war, so even if you have no symptoms, and you are not sick, it is good to have regular checks so that you can detect any underlying issues. That is the only way forward.

“Try regular health checks so that you can know what your background condition is and manage it appropriately. If you have high blood pressure that is not controlled and when you have an emotional surge, your blood pressure will go through the roof compared to someone whose blood pressure or hypertension is well controlled.”

News

Why I Won’t Attend Gaza Summit In Egypt — Netanyahu

Published

17 minutes ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not attend Monday’s Gaza summit in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh because it coincides with a Jewish holiday, his office said.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu was invited by US President Donald Trump to attend a conference in Egypt today,” his office said in a statement.

“The prime minister thanked President Trump for the invitation but said he would be unable to attend due to the timing coinciding with the start of the holiday” of Simhat Torah, which begins Monday evening and continues until sunset Tuesday.

Earlier, Egypt’s presidency said Netanyahu had been invited to attend following a call between US President Donald Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and the Israeli premier.

AFP

News

Fubara Names New Rivers SSG

Published

24 minutes ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

The Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has approved the appointment of Benibo Anabraba as the new Secretary to the State Government.

The appointment was confirmed on Monday in a statement signed by Dr. Honour Sirawoo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications.

According to the release, Anabraba is scheduled to be sworn in today, Monday, October 13, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. at the State Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt.

The statement said, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has approved the appointment of Hon. Benibo Anabraba as Secretary to the Rivers State Government.

“The new SSG will be sworn in today, Monday, October 13, 2025, by 4:00 PM at the State Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Port Harcourt.”

The appointment follows Fubara’s recent reinstatement to office after a period of political and legal turbulence that led to his suspension under emergency rule declared by President Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu had, on March 18, 2025, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, suspending the governor, his deputy, and members of the House of Assembly. He cited the prolonged political crisis between Fubara and his predecessor and political benefactor, Nyesom Wike, as the reason.

In Fubara’s place, Tinubu appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as Sole Administrator, with a mandate to restore political stability.

Recall that the immediate past administrator, upon assumption of office during the emergency rule imposed suspended all commissioners, special advisers, and assistants appointed by Fubara.

Ibas also dissolved boards and suspended heads of parastatals he met in office.

Since Ibas exited the state on September 18, the fate of Fubara’s appointees had remained uncertain. The Rivers State House of Assembly, at its first sitting after the lifting of the emergency rule, had called on the governor to submit a fresh list of commissioner-nominees for screening, alongside the 2025 budget for passage.

His return to the governorship has coincided with a flurry of administrative changes as the governor consolidates his team.

News

FG To Disburse ₦6.3bn Interest-free Loans To 21,000 Flood Victims

Published

29 minutes ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government is set to disburse ₦6.3 billion in interest-free loans to 21,000 Nigerians affected by recent flood disasters across the country.

Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Sununu, made this known on Monday in Abuja during a roundtable marking the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Sununu said the initiative aims to cushion the impact of flooding and enhance food security nationwide, Channels reports.

“In the next few weeks, 21,000 Nigerians will receive interest-free, collateral-free loans of ₦300,000 each.

“This intervention is designed to support farmers and strengthen communities affected by flooding,” he said.

The minister further revealed that the Federal Government, through the National Social Investment Programme, has reached over 8.1 million households with more than ₦300 billion in Conditional Cash Transfers.

“This support has improved the resilience, health, and education of many vulnerable households. The process will continue under the Hope Agenda of Mr. President,” Sununu added.

He also announced plans to empower internally displaced persons through a scheme that guarantees a market for their produce.

“Under our new collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, IDPs will retain 30% of their produce while the government will off-take 70%, providing direct cash payments to the participants,” he explained.

In her remarks, the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Zubaida Umar, highlighted the growing threat of climate-related disasters and called for stronger preventive measures.

Umar noted that Nigeria faces increasing risks from climate change, conflicts, pandemics, and technological hazards, stressing that disaster management must shift from reactive to proactive approaches.

She also announced the launch of two key policy frameworks — the NEMA Strategic Plan (2025–2029) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (2025–2030) to guide future disaster preparedness and resilience-building efforts.

“These frameworks promote innovation in financing, institutional collaboration, and risk-informed development,” she said, adding that NEMA is developing a National Risk Monitoring and Information Platform to enhance early warning and data-driven decision-making.

She further called for innovative financing options, including catastrophe bonds, climate funds, and blended finance models, to sustain disaster prevention and recovery initiatives.

The event, which focused on building resilience against climate-related disasters, was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, lawmakers, and international partners.

The PUNCH reports that 238 persons have lost their lives, while 135,764 others have been displaced following floods that swept through parts of the country as of October 10, 2025, according to figures obtained from the National Emergency Management Agency’s 2025 Flood Dashboard on Saturday.

NEMA reports that at least 409,714 people have been affected so far, with 826 sustaining various degrees of injuries and 115 reported missing across the country.

Flood-related deaths were recorded in multiple states, bringing the nationwide death toll to 238.