Bengal footballer dies after colliding with 'keeper

In a tragic incident Mahesh Thapa, a 27-year-old footballer who plays in the Bengal football league, died moments after a collision with the goalkeeper during a match in Jalpaiguri.

Thapa was first taken to the Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital but couldn't be admitted to the ICU due to lack of beds and he was then driven to a private nursing home called Marina.

Unfortunately, the ICU was full there also.

It was learnt that Thapa stopped breathing on the way to another private facility called Touch. He was then brought back to the Sadar Hospital where he was declared dead.

District Sports Association (DSA) joint secretary, Bhola Mondal said the player was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance soon after the incident.

"There was no delay in taking the player to the hospital. There were no beds in the (first two) hospitals and we were told to wait but the condition of the player was such that we could not afford to delay," Mondal said.

A player of Raikatpara Sports Association, Thapa was representing the Toralpara team against Bhanu Nagar team.

The unfortunate incident took place when the opposition goalkeeper's knee crashed on to Thapa's chest, leading to the latter's collapse.

A post-mortem has been conducted on the deceased's body to know the exact reasons of his death, and the reports are awaited.

According to sources, those familiar with Thapa claimed that he had been playing for a long time and was not known to indulge in bad habits.

The incident comes barely four months after Bangalore footballer Venkatesh passed away during a match due to cardiac arrest.

Venkatesh, could not be revived after suffering a cardiac arrest, and the lack of basic medical facilities played a part.

In 2004, Dempo's Brazilian striker Cristiano Junior too had died on the field after colliding with then Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Subrata Paul.