May
12
Referee books dying player for diving
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This story comes from the morbid side of life, and it is as strange as it is sad. During a match in the lower Croatian leagues between Mladost and Hryatski Sokola, a player fell down to the ground at the end of the 1st half. As there were no others around him, the referee, who had warned both sides before the game that he would not tolerate diving, deemed he was faking it, and issued him a yellow card. The problem, however, was that the official didn’t realize the player had had a heart attack.
Soon, the other players gathered around Goran Tunjic, and the referee finally realized his mistake. He called for help, and 32 year-old Tunjic was rushed to the hospital, but medics could not revive him.
The game was abandoned at 0-0, and his teammates were left shocked. No one was aware of him having any previous medical conditions, and a spokesman said “he just fell dead on the spot”.
Doctors say he was struck down by a massive heart attack, and even if the referee had reacted quicker, it probably still would have been too late. Also you can’t really blame him anyway, as there is no way he could have known the player suffered such a real and fatal injury. It goes to show you that these tragic things can happen even to tested athletes, and that one should always monitor one’s condition at all times.