Echoes of heartache: Why are African footballers more likely to die on the pitch

African footballers appear more prone to fatal incidents on the pitch, raising urgent questions about health and safety standards.

The recent death of Egyptian footballer Ahmed Refaat during a match has reignited concerns about the safety of African athletes in sports.

This tragic event is part of a disturbing trend that seems to disproportionately affect African footballers.

Over the past decade, there has been a significant number of on-field fatalities, with a surprisingly high percentage involving players from African nations.

According to a compilation of data from various sources including Wikipedia, which remains the most comprehensive list available despite its limitations, 39 out of 110 footballers who died on the pitch in the last 10 years were from African countries—this equates to nearly 36%.

Given that only about 17% of footballers worldwide are African according to FIFA estimates this statistic is alarming.

It suggests that African players may be dying at more than double the rate of their counterparts from other continents.

The leading cause of these deaths has been identified as sudden cardiac death.

This condition was responsible for the demise of 25 out of the 26 African players who died under these circumstances.

The question arises: Are African players more susceptible to sudden cardiac death?

Research in the field of sports cardiology provides some insights.

Professor Sanjay Sharma, a leading expert, has highlighted that sudden cardiac death among black athletes is significantly more common than among white athletes.

In the United States, evidence shows that black basketball players are about three times more likely to suffer from this fate compared to their white peers.

"The overall risk of sudden cardiac death during sport is around one in 48,000. But when someone actually examines this more closely that risk is considerably higher in black athletes; one in 18,000 in black males," Sharma explained in an interview with BBC.

In the UK, the disparity is even more pronounced as the death rate for white footballers is one in 25,000, while it plummets to one in 4,000 for black players, making a black player six times more likely to die than a white player.

The physiological reasons behind these disparities are not entirely clear, but Professor Sharma suggests that genetic factors might play a significant role.

"The evidence we looked at suggests black sports players are more likely to suffer from cardiac arrest because the wall of the left side of the heart seems to thicken more than players of other ethnicities," he noted.

This thickening can lead to abnormal electrical disturbances that may trigger sudden death.

This risk is exacerbated by higher blood pressure during exercise, which is more prevalent among black athletes.

Moreover, there is a variation in susceptibility within the African continent itself.

Sharma pointed out that the data predominantly pertains to athletes of West African descent.

"There is going to be some genetic variation amongst the black population. Our information in the UK and from the US is based predominantly among black athletes who have originated in West Africa."

Interestingly, the data indicates that East African players do not suffer as severely as their West African counterparts.

Another contributing factor is the lack of adequate medical screening in poorer African nations, which means that many cardiac issues go undetected until it is too late.

"Heart screening is rarer in poorer African countries so problems in players do not always get picked up," Sharma added.

The situation is compounded by inadequate monitoring and data collection, making it difficult to reach a definitive conclusion about the risks African footballers face.

However, the patterns observed and the research conducted suggest that this is a serious issue that needs further attention.

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