Liberian football star Ambrose Wreh has died while playing in a pre-season encounter.
Wreh, who originally played for Premier League club Gedi & Sons, was featuring for his former club Invincible Eleven when he collapsed on the pitch and died on the way to the John F. Kennedy memorial hospital on Sunday.
He played less than 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute in a friendly match which saw IE taking on their long term arch-rivals Mighty Barrolle at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in Monrovia.
A Goal.com reporter who was at the stadium said Wreh came on as part of a triple substitution carried out by the IE coach in an attempt to level the match where they were trailing 1-0.
“Upon his introduction, the midfielder did not appear ill, but rather lively with a few touches on the ball and some smart shooting.
"There were 85 minutes on the clock when Wreh collapsed untouched on the pitch and, although I was in the stands, I could see his breathing was abnormal,“ said the reporter.
The referee in charge of the match, FIFA's Jerry Yekeh, quickly drew the attention of the IE medical team, but they could do little for Wreh and there were no medical facilities to quickly take him off the pitch. He was instead carried to a car and taken to the John F. Kennedy hospital, which is less than a 10 minute drive from the stadium.
"When the final whistle was blown the news finally arrived and the entire stadium turned cold. All I could hear was screaming from players of both teams and fans who attended the outing," added the reporter.
Speaking to Goal.com,the vice-president of operations at IE FC, Alfred Sayon, said they did not notice the player as being ill leading upto the match, but he was saddened by the incident.
He frowned upon the lack of medical facilities at the ATS in Monrovia, stating the life of the player could have been saved if they were available.
The doctors at the JFK hospital stated that Wreh died before arriving at the hospital, according to the team’s doctor Sam Bananbas Harris.
Ambrose Wreh played for Gedi & Sons in the last Premier League season after returning from the Ivory Coast, where he played for SEWE Sports and featured in the 2007 CAF Champions League.
Wreh, who originally played for Premier League club Gedi & Sons, was featuring for his former club Invincible Eleven when he collapsed on the pitch and died on the way to the John F. Kennedy memorial hospital on Sunday.
He played less than 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute in a friendly match which saw IE taking on their long term arch-rivals Mighty Barrolle at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium in Monrovia.
A Goal.com reporter who was at the stadium said Wreh came on as part of a triple substitution carried out by the IE coach in an attempt to level the match where they were trailing 1-0.
“Upon his introduction, the midfielder did not appear ill, but rather lively with a few touches on the ball and some smart shooting.
"There were 85 minutes on the clock when Wreh collapsed untouched on the pitch and, although I was in the stands, I could see his breathing was abnormal,“ said the reporter.
The referee in charge of the match, FIFA's Jerry Yekeh, quickly drew the attention of the IE medical team, but they could do little for Wreh and there were no medical facilities to quickly take him off the pitch. He was instead carried to a car and taken to the John F. Kennedy hospital, which is less than a 10 minute drive from the stadium.
"When the final whistle was blown the news finally arrived and the entire stadium turned cold. All I could hear was screaming from players of both teams and fans who attended the outing," added the reporter.
Speaking to Goal.com,the vice-president of operations at IE FC, Alfred Sayon, said they did not notice the player as being ill leading upto the match, but he was saddened by the incident.
He frowned upon the lack of medical facilities at the ATS in Monrovia, stating the life of the player could have been saved if they were available.
The doctors at the JFK hospital stated that Wreh died before arriving at the hospital, according to the team’s doctor Sam Bananbas Harris.
Ambrose Wreh played for Gedi & Sons in the last Premier League season after returning from the Ivory Coast, where he played for SEWE Sports and featured in the 2007 CAF Champions League.