Sports fans from all over Oman are mourning after the death of footballer Mukhaled Al Raqadi, 29, who collapsed during a pre-match warm-up.
The Oman international, who played 12 times for his country, suffered a heart attack on the pitch on Thursday, the Oman News Agency reported.
Al Raqadi died minutes before his club, Muscat FC, were about to take on Al Suwaiq Club in a league game.
Distraught fans left messages on social media including: “My heart is broken” and “We will miss his talent".
“No words can describe the loss and I pray for inner peace for his family,” football fan Mohammed Al Asmi wrote on Twitter.
“My heart is broken for this young and talented player. My sympathy to his family,” read another Twitter message, this from Said Al Rawahi.
In a similar incident on December 25, Algerian footballer Sofiane Loukar died while captaining MC Saida in a second-division match.
He was treated and returned to the pitch only to collapse again 10 minutes later. He died of a heart attack on his way to the hospital.
Another football fan from Oman said that more must be done to check the footballers' fitness.
“Football is a very physical game. Players must go through a stringent medical fitness regime by going through checks by doctors to avoid this happening again,” Khalifa Al Sharji tweeted.
A video on social media shows Al Raqadi’s teammates consoling each other on the pitch minutes after his death.
“Our deep condolences to the family of Mukhaled Al Raqadi on his untimely death. We pray for God to have mercy on his soul,” the Oman Football Association said.
