I-League footballer Soccor Velho dies of heart attack

Image Source: Wikipedia

Air India midfielder Soccor Velho, who was representing Margao XI in a friendly match against India U-19 on Saturday, died after he suffered a heart attack on the same night.

Velho, who was associated with Air India for seven seasons, was at his residence in Margao, when he experienced severe chest pain.

Air India official Joginder Thapa reacted to his death saying, “It is a very sad moment for us. He was one of our best players and a dedicated Air India employee as well.”

Former India goalkeeper and CEO of WIFA (Western India Football Association) Henry Menezes expressed his shock but also stated that his state association will try to find out more about the incident.

“It is shocking. Besides playing for Air India, he also represented Maharashtra in the Santosh Trophy and was one of the main reasons why we reached the final in 2005-06. We will try to go into the depth of the incident and try to avoid something similar in future. It is important to explain the players that they shouldn’t overload themselves in the off season,” he told Sportskeeda.