PICTURES OF a coffin draped in the Ivorian flag captured the despair of a nation in a single moment. Struck down by grief, the thousands of onlookers at the funeral of Cheick Tiote on Sunday were joined by Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly in the wake of the former Newcastle United player’s sudden death, each of them still struggling to comprehend the reality of the life they now all face.
It is a pang of pain that transcends borders, as thousands in Scotland will testify to. The defensive midfielder never played here, yet it didn’t stop his passing from resonating through the hearts of those who know only too well the anguish, confusion and anger the loss of life can cause in such circumstances.
Ten years ago this December, Motherwell Football Club lost its captain, Phil O’Donnell, on the Fir Park pitch which he made his name upon. Without knowing it, the thousands in the stands watching that game with Dundee United witnessed the father-of-four die of heart failure. He was just 35.
The lives of both men may have been different, but the sudden and shock passing of Tiote only brings back the tragedy of what happened on December 29, 2007. The hush that descended over Fir Park that dark day sharpening in the ears with the clarity of a perfectly observed minute’s silence, the image of the wall of flowers, scarves, strips and messages sprawling down Fir Park Street as clear as the picture on the most expensive 4K television.
I was there that day, and it was a moment that will forever be etched into my memory. The seemingly increasing examples of sudden death in sport only inscribing the horror of losing not just a sporting icon but a beloved husband and father from the world further into my tragic recollections.
Time seemed to pass so slowly that night as word began to filter through, a steady stream of a couple of supporters slowly growing into a congregation of around 300 converging on the steps of Fir Park. Elsewhere, Megan O’Donnell and the rest of her family were attempting to deal somehow with their own reality which was so harsh and cruel nobody with a claret and amber scarf hanging around their neck could even begin to comprehend it.
Sadly, Phil O’Donnell and Cheick Tiote are not the only young men to tragically lose their lives in this way. In April, I visited the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona, home to La Liga side Espanyol. At their new ground, a shrine has been erected in tribute to their captain Daniel Jarque, who lost his life at the age of just 26 in 2009. Included in the tributes, is a Celtic strip of Marc Crosas, who came through the Spanish youth ranks with Jarque.
Everyone at HeraldSport gives its unwavering support to the O’Donnell family and commends Megan in doing her father proud. It is without doubt a mission already accomplished.
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