Atangana Clement is the third soccer player to have collapsed in the field in 2007.
The Cameroon football family is once more bereaved following the sudden dead on Friday of Atangana Clement in Vietnam. The 22-year-old collapsed in the field during his second trial training session with a Division One side, Military Zone 4. Attempts by medical doctors to bring him back to life after rushing him to the Hospital were fruitless. On Sunday, a doctor at the Military Hospital in Vietnam said Atangana probably died of a heart attack. Atangana Clement is said to have represented Cameroon at the Under-22 level. Team manager Vu Quang Bao was reported as saying that he had been impressed with Atangana and had intended to offer him a contract even though he was only 12 minutes into the second training session.
The dead of Atangana last Friday rekindles memories of the departure of Cameroon’s midfield maestro, Marc Vivien Foe who collapsed during an international match in France. The 28-year-old fell to the ground unchallenged at the 72nd minute of a
Confederations Cup semi-final against Colombia in Lyon. Though he was treated on the pitch before being stretched-off where he continued receiving further medical care, including mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and extra oxygen, the former Lyon and Mancity player later died.
The dead of Clement Atangana, brings to three the number of soccer players who have died while in active service. Last August, Zambia`s Chaswe Nsofwa died in an Israeli Hospital minutes after collapsing during a training session. The 27-year-old was training with his Israeli second Division side, Hapoel Beersheba when the tragedy struck. Rescue workers tried to restart his heart for several minutes on the field before taking him to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba. Nsofwa was part of Zambia’s squad at the 2002 African Cup of Nations in Mali and last year had helped the Chipolopolo win the Cosafa Cup, scoring one of the goals in their final win over Angola. His dead was preceded by that of Spain and Sevilla`s Antonio Puerta, three days after collapsing in the field during a league game.
