Motherwell FC's captain collapsed on the pitch as he was being substituted off. He was pronounced dead later at a local hospital.

My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family at this time. The bigger issue, though, is this: this makes three on-field collapses and deaths this year in soccer. What can be done to prevent this? Once is an anomaly, three times in one year is something to look into. I'm not familiar with medical testing policies in international football, but it looks to me as though a much more thorough test of the heart must be implemented.

RIP Phil

Condolances indeed.
As a Man City fan, I am reminded back to Marc Vivien Foe in 2003 when he too died on the pitch during a game for Cameroon.......:(

Jukebox Jury

bloody hell, what a shame.

Makes you think doesn't it eh? We are lucky to be alive.

R.I.P. Phil

love

Grim

My son and I were watching Sky when they said there would be 7 minutes of extra time. He asked why? Now we know. This is an awful terrible, tragedy. And regarding Foe, I was watching that match when it happened. Terrible.

Peter

I photographed him just before he signed for Celtic when he was a young rising star.

He was SUCH a nice,friendly guy.

My thoughts are with his friends and family

Tragic news. R.I.P. Phil.

Shocking news.

Not so shocking in light of what I was recently reading last week. Like American Football, Football (what I call soccer), is a strenuous sport. In the US right now there is a calling of attention to what happens to the banged up athletes after they retire. One of the points that they have made is the condition of practices and strenuous exercises done in less than ideal conditions.

We have had players simply drop dead on the field due to exhaustion while at practice. So before there is any speculation of drugs or foreign substances in his system, as I have already read some speculation, there is also the possibility that his body simply gave out on him.

RIP Phil.

Can't believe how this keeps happening to footballers. 35 may be old for a footballer but it's still a young age in the grand scheme of things.

Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell died after collapsing during the game with Dundee United. My utmost sympathies go to all those connected with the him, both personally and professionally.

http://goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=529898

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/motherwell/7164618.stm

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=529983

don't s'pose you read this did you?

http://forums.morrissey-solo.com/showthread.php?t=82039

love

Grim

Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell died after collapsing during the game with Dundee United. My utmost sympathies go to all those connected with the him, both personally and professionally.

http://goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=529898

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/motherwell/7164618.stm

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=529983

No. I posted it on my way into 'off topic'. I've already asked for it to be removed.

done

love

Grim

Motherwell FC's captain collapsed on the pitch as he was being substituted off. He was pronounced dead later at a local hospital.

My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family at this time. The bigger issue, though, is this: this makes three on-field collapses and deaths this year in soccer. What can be done to prevent this? Once is an anomaly, three times in one year is something to look into. I'm not familiar with medical testing policies in international football, but it looks to me as though a much more thorough test of the heart must be implemented.

RIP Phil

Two friends on mine died playing football. They swollowed their tongues Phil was fitter than them. Sometimes tragedies happen. This may prompt more research into hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, if indeed that is what happened.

http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/four_four_two_nov_06_bill_shankly's_words_about_fo otball.htm

I was reading something about this guy and a couple of other names popped up one being Miklós Fehér how sad was that, all of it is sad, but one minute smiling after a yellow card then boom drops dead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy0zpDflFR0

Condolances indeed.
As a Man City fan, I am reminded back to Marc Vivien Foe in 2003 when he too died on the pitch during a game for Cameroon.......:(

Jukebox Jury

hey! you might want to change your own spelling mistakes, mister.

Very sad R.I.P. Phil.

There have been 4 on-field deaths in major American sports in the past 40 years. This year, a third-base coach for a minor league baseball team, Mike Coolbaugh, was killed instantly when he was hit in the neck with a line drive. In 2005, Arena Football League player Al Lucas suffered a severe spinal cord injury during a game and died en route to the hospital. In 1990, Hank Gathers, a star basketball player at Loyola Marymount University, suffered a heart attack after scoring a spectacular dunk during his team's conference championship game. Back in 1971, Detroit Lions receiver Chuck Hughes had a heart attack while running out for a pass. He later died at a Detroit area hospital.

Of course, there have been several on the practice fields. Korey Stringer and Rashidi Wheeler come to mind. :(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0z8JdPcMnY

You can leave a message on the Motherwell website if you wish:

http://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/page/ClubNewsDetail/0,,10292~1202132,00.html

TRAGEDY HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR HEALTH MONITORING:
http://www.thisisnorthscotland.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=149213&command=displayContent&sourceNode=149206&contentPK=19444788&folderPk=85709&pNodeId=149229

Funeral of Phil O'Donnell:
http://itn.co.uk/news/9c820df620077fe2be7594b198def572.html

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/01/04/phil-son-s-touching-tribute-to-his-dad-86908-20273667/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7170162.stm