By Ngqwele Dube
Talen Vision and Bulawayo City FC development players that participated in the tragic match in which young defender Cedric Dube collapsed and died following an asthma attack attended a counseling session at Barbourfields Stadium yesterday to help them deal with the trauma.
The 18-year-old Vision defender collapsed during a Division Three league match and was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
Vision chief operating officer Brian Moyo said they felt it prudent to bring the two sets of players together and assist them deal with the tragedy.
Both teams are made up of Under-20 players.
He said they invited Rev Leslie Payne and Childline official Mandla Ncube to speak to the boys, while several club officials were also given the floor.
“It is not easy to witness death in whatever circumstances and we felt the youngsters needed to go through some counselling to deal with the pain and trauma rather than leaving them to deal with the pain alone.
“We felt there was need to encourage them not to give up on the sport and assist them to ensure the incident does not leave a permanent scar on the players,” said Moyo.
“It has also been particularly a difficult road for Cedric’s brother, Khulekani, who is our goalkeeper and was present during the match, and I am happy this session seems to have enabled him to loosen up. Seeing him interacting with the other boys will assist him deal with the loss.”
Bulawayo City public relations officer Thandiwe Moyo said it is rare for a player of Cedric’s age to die during a football match hence, his peers are likely to have found it hard to deal with the incident and the counselling session was necessary.
“Players come from different backgrounds and some might not have had the opportunity to talk about it and go over it so we felt this session would go a long way in assisting the players get back onto the field.
‘‘Coming together with Talen Vision enabled us to put that competitive spirit aside and show that we are a community and brothers above the competing that we do on the field.
“We are with them in these trying times,” Moyo said.
Following the incident, Zifa Bulawayo Province acting chairman Allan Mpofu said from the beginning of next season it shall be mandatory for all teams to conduct medicals for their players and have certified medical teams on the bench during matches.
Mpofu said they are seriously working on ensuring that the safety of players on the field of play is guaranteed at all costs by ensuring that underlying medical conditions are known and proper measures are taken to handle such tragic situations. The Chronicle
