South African footballer Sinamandla Zondi died on Tuesday after collapsing in the warm-up before a second-tier match, his club Durban City said.

The 22-year-old was taken to the hospital ahead of Durban’s game against Milford FC, and the match was abandoned at halftime when officials were told Zondi had died.

The cause of death was still to be determined.

“It is with deep sadness that we confirm the passing of Sinamandla Zondi, aka Sgora, a loved member of the Durban City family,” the club said in a statement.

“Sinamandla was more than a talented footballer, He was a teammate, a friend, a brother, a son and an inspiration to all who knew him.

“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with his family, friends, teammates, coaches and everyone affected by this tragic loss. We will continue to support those close to him during this difficult time.”

The defender made his professional debut in September 2021 and had been a regular for his club this season as they sit top of the standings and are on course for promotion to the top flight of South African football.

-Reuters

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The Nigeria Football Federation has condoled with the FCT Referee Council and the entire refereeing fraternity in Nigeria over the death on Monday, 21^st April 2025, of a former FIFA Assistant Referee, Bosede Momoh.

Momoh was said to have passed away at the National Hospital, Abuja, after a protracted illness.

General Secretary of NFF, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, expressed “very deep sorrow” over the passing of the former arbiter, describing her as a “gentle but firm and conscientious referee” who endeared herself to all with her amiable manners, dedication to the cause, fairness and utmost discipline.

“Late Bosede Momoh was kind-hearted and of good character, yet firm and diligent in her duties. The NFF and the entire Nigerian football fraternity will miss her, as she was still contributing meaningfully to the game even after her retirement as a FIFA referee. She was a National Physical Fitness instructor and also an assessor with the Nigerian Premier Football League.

“She left a good name, and we pray that the Almighty will grant her eternal rest, and also grant her friends, family and other loved ones, and the refereeing fraternity, the fortitude to bear the big loss.”     

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Argentina-born Pope Francis, who died on Monday, is being honoured at his local hometown soccer club in Buenos Aires, San Lorenzo de Almagro, where the football-loving head of the Roman Catholic Church remained a member during his 12-year papacy.

Fans from the first-tier Primera División club started gathering from Monday at the club’s chapel to the south-west of the Argentine capital to bid farewell to their best-known member.

“The pope leaves an unbreakable legacy,” San Lorenzo Club President Marcelo Moretti told Reuters. “For all San Lorenzo fans, he was a source of great pride. It is a very sad day.”

At the chapel, fans lit candles near a statue of Francis adorned with the team’s red and navy blue colours.

San Lorenzo fans took to social media on news of the pope’s death to point out that his club membership number – 88235N-0 – coincided exactly with his age and the time of death.

“He died at 88 years old, at 2:35 am (in Buenos Aires, 0535 GMT) and was member 88235. It really caught my attention,” wrote one San Lorenzo fan on X.

The club confirmed the pope’s membership number to Reuters.

A drone view shows the Pedro Bidegain stadium, home of San Lorenzo de Almagro, Pope Francis’ hometown soccer team, in Buenos Aires, Argentina April 21, 2025. REUTERS/Matias Baglietto 

Special commemorative jerseys will be worn for Saturday’s match against Rosario Central, Moretti said, with players hoping to secure victory for the pontiff, whose funeral will be held in the Vatican on the same day.

Several other Argentine teams suspended matches on Monday as a mark of respect.

Oscar Lucchini, who runs the club’s chapel, showed Reuters old photos of Francis holding a San Lorenzo jersey as well as a print-out of his club membership card. Lucchini’s colleague Laura Magrino held up a team shirt made in honour of the pope.

‘GREAT EMOTION’

Moretti said he had met Francis several times, most recently last September, to ask permission to name a new stadium after him in the Boedo neighbourhood where the club is based.

“He accepted, with great emotion,” Moretti told Reuters.

Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio into an Italian migrant family in Buenos Aires in 1936, at a time when soccer had already become Argentina’s most popular sport, said author Jimmy Burns, biographer of ‘Francis: The Pope of Good Promise’.

Soccer was especially popular in less affluent neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires through clubs like San Lorenzo, which had been founded by a Catholic priest in 1908 and was Francis’ chosen team growing up.

The club became the 1946 champions, Moretti said, going on to secure several stunning victories during a European tour the following year, which brought the team international attention.

Francis became a lifelong soccer fan despite rarely playing himself in his younger days due to health issues.

“He tended to read rather than play sport,” Burns told Reuters, but he liked watching games live at San Lorenzo or catching the occasional World Cup match on TV.

After becoming pope in 2013, Francis never returned to Argentina, but he hosted many of the country’s sporting greats at the Vatican, including soccer icons Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona. Sport is a great leveller, Francis once said.

Maradona, who died in 2020, said Pope Francis had restored his Catholic faith after they met in 2014. Messi would later be granted a papal audience of his own, from which he said he also emerged spiritually refreshed.

-Reuters

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