August 29 – Football in Mourning | On This Football Day

August 29 – Football in Mourning

BILL Shankly once said: “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”

While this has gone down as one of the most famous football quotes there’s ever been, many believe Shanks was taken out of context and after events like those today in 2007 the game of football is put back into perspective.

Zambian international Chaswe Nsofwa died during a training match that took place in Beersheba, Israel. The 28-year-old striker died from sudden heart failure during a training match for his new side Hapoel Beersheba following his two-goal debut the week before.

As a mark of respect the club have since retired the number six shirt in his honour. Nsofwa’s death came at the end of a truly grim 10 days for football, as the sport was reeling from the loss of three other players that were cut down in their prime.

Sevilla’s 22-year-old left-back Antonio Puerta died on 28 August, three days after suffering a series of cardiac arrests during their game with Getafe. This came in the same week of 16-year-old Walsall youth team player Anton Reid died in training and also saw another promising youngster, QPR’s Ray Jones killed in a car crash at the age of 18.

Another player, Sunderland’s Clive Clarke who was on loan at Leicester, had two heart failures in a League Cup tie against Nottingham Forest, but was stabilised in the dressing room before being taken to hospital.

Clarke later recounted: “When you think about Sevilla player Antonio Puerta, it goes without saying that a day won’t pass when I don’t cherish every moment in my life.”

Rarely has their been a week in football where the troubles you face being an average football fan paled into insignificance, and Shankly’s words sounded so hollow.

See footage of the Sevilla side paying tribute to their fallen team-mate, Antonio Puerta in their first match since his death, against Milan in the European Super Cup below and find out what else happened today here.