When footballers take to the field during the competition, their aim is to earn a win and propel their teams- either club or country- to glory.
However, there have been cases where players have died while on the field, either due to an injury sustained in the game or because of an undetected ailment that cannot handle the pressure of the game. In some cases, the players take ill on the pitch, which ends up being fatal.
Some players like Ivorians Cheick Tioté and Moïse Brou Apanga, Ethiopian Aseged Tesfaye, and Botswana’s Gofaone Tiro died in training after severe heart attacks.
As the World Cup is ongoing, we take a look at some of the African players who have died while playing for their clubs and country.