Katsina United have clarified that their player, Chinedu Ozor, did not regain consciousness after collapsing during a friendly match against Niger Tornadoes in Katsina.
The club said Ozor died following the medical emergency at the Muhammad Dikko Stadium, despite efforts to save his life.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued by the club’s Media Directorate in response to reports that the player had regained consciousness after initially being declared dead.
The club described the reports as false and appealed to the public and media organisations to stop circulating unverified information about the circumstances surrounding the player’s death.
“With broken hearts, we wish to clarify the circumstances surrounding the tragic passing of our player, Chinedu Ozor, who collapsed during a friendly match against Niger Tornadoes at the Muhammad Dikko Stadium, Katsina,” the club said.
“Despite the efforts that followed, Chinedu sadly passed away.”
According to Katsina United, Ozor’s family initially struggled to accept the reality of his death and requested further medical confirmation before his body was eventually taken to the morgue.
The club said the family’s hope during the difficult period may have contributed to reports that the footballer subsequently regained consciousness.
“We have seen reports claiming that Chinedu later regained consciousness or ‘came back to life.’ We understand that people desperately wanted this to be true. We all did. But sadly, those reports are not true,” it said.
The club emphasised that Ozor never regained consciousness after the incident.
“That moment of hope must not be turned into a story that Chinedu survived. He did not regain consciousness. He passed away,” the statement added.
Katsina United also appealed to social media users and media organisations to exercise restraint and respect the privacy of Ozor’s bereaved family, teammates and friends.
“We ask from the bottom of our hearts: stop the rumours. Stop the false reports. Stop sharing unverified information,” the club said.
It described Ozor as a son, brother, teammate and friend whose death had left his loved ones and the football community grieving.
The club warned that speculation and unverified reports could further deepen the pain of the deceased’s family.
“At this moment, what his family needs is compassion, not speculation. What his teammates need is space to grieve. And what Chinedu deserves is to be remembered with dignity,” Katsina United said.
The club concluded by expressing condolences to Ozor’s family and praying for strength for those affected by his death, as well as the peaceful repose of his soul.
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