Indonesian goalkeeper Choirul Huda dies after tragic mid-game collision with teammate

Indonesian football was in mourning on Monday after celebrated goalkeeper Choirul Huda died following an on-pitch collision with a teammate.

Huda, 38, a long-time regular for his hometown club Persela in East Java, collapsed just before half-time after Sunday’s accidental clash with Brazilian midfielder Ramon Rodrigues.

Video footage showed the father of two clutching his chest in pain before he was rushed away on a stretcher and taken to hospital. Doctors said he stopped breathing and suffered a heart attack.

“He received an emergency treatment for a few minutes in hospital but he could not be saved. He died before 5pm yesterday,” Persela’s assistant coach Yuhronur Efendi said.

Doctors said the medical team tried to revive the veteran Huda, a former fringe player in the national set-up, for about an hour.