Idahor embraced life in Sudan, becoming involved in charitable causes across the country and even adopting Sudanese citizenship. His attitude earned him a widespread reputation as a model professional, and as a role model for aspiring young African footballers. This Nigerian player died on August 12, 1989, at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos State, after collapsing in the 77th minute due to congestive heart failure during a World Cup qualification match against Angola. Before his untimely demise, he had also completed his Master of Laws degree at the University of Rome. On May 24, 2015, while competing for Atletico Parana against Boca Unidos, the 27-year-old football player fainted and died in the middle of the match.
Players, coaching staff and the 30,000 supporters stood in disbelief as the referee whistled the end of the match.
At 25, Cristiano passed away without medical personnel on the field or in the stadium to help him. Sources close to El-Merreikh Club revealed to Goal.com that the player will undergo an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Meanwhile, early medical reports state that a heart attack is the most likely cause of death. In the meantime, thousands of Al-Merrikh fans descended on the hospital to give their support, desperate for positive news – destined to discover their worst fears. Within minutes an ambulance arrived on the pitch beside the fast-swelling crowd of players and officials surrounding Idahor’s body. He was slowly lifted onto a stretcher as spectators and members of both coaching teams watched in impotent disbelief.
His collapse was initiated by an Al-Amal defender’s elbow hitting him in the chest as he looked to find space to evade his marker. Before the 2003 Indian National Football League season, Cristiano Sebastio de Lima Junior moved to India and joined East Bengal. Please enable JavaScript or switch to a supported browser to continue using twitter.com. If you are not already a member, you can click here to view the features of Soccer Manager or register for an account. It remains to be seen whether the rest of week 3 matches taking place on Sunday will be postponed or not.
On March 6th 2010, Al-Merrikh were scheduled to play Al-Amal, a fellow Sudanese side based in the north west of the country. Idahor went into the game in good form, having scored against Ethiopa’s Saint kabaddi olympics George in the first round of the CAF Champions League the previous weekend. He impressed sufficiently to earn a place in the Nigerian Under-23s squad, and matured into a key player for the Red Devils.