As if Cristiano Junior’s accident, which occurred more than seven years ago, was not enough; as if Arun Kumar’s demise less than a year ago was not enough; even poor Ivory Coast student Allebi Djwrey Abale Albert Aguste’s tragedy, who fainted on the field while playing an inter-college football tournament and eventually died on the way to hospital, was not enough.

The same horror haunted Bangalore once again, as footballer Venkatesh D, 23, playing a Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) Division ‘A’ match for his team Bangalore Mars, collapsed on the Bangalore Football Stadium pitch. The tragic incident took place around the 87th minute, when he was playing against South Western (SW) Railway. Venkatesh’s side was leading 2-0 when he collapsed.

As is well-documented by now, no ambulance was present at the stadium. Venkatesh’s teammates hired an auto rickshaw and took him to Hosmat Hospital for immediate treatment. Apparently, this hospital is closest – diagonally behind – to the stadium, but he was declared dead on arrival by the doctors. The exact cause of death was ascertained only after the post-mortem report – cardiac arrest…

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Written by Ravi K

You can also follow and catch what he's up to on twitter @ravindranathk.