Scenes during a warm-up session turned tragic for Oman's international football team as Mukhaled Al-Raqadi died aged 29 after collapsing before his side Muscat hosted Al Suwaiq in the country's top-tier Professional League.
Raqadi was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he passed away shortly after arriving. Players and officials from both sides were visibly moved and in tears following the incident that saw the match abandoned before kick-off on Wednesday. Muscat announced the news of Al-Raqadi's death on Twitter later the same day.
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Heart issues have caused alarm across the footballing world lately. Croatian defender Marin Cacic died aged 23 days after collapsing during a training session. Barcelona's Sergio Aguero recently had to retire following a heart ailment. Denmark's star player Christian Eriksen collapsed during a Euro 2020 game but later recovered.