Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell died on Saturday after collapsing during a match against Dundee United.
O'Donnell, 35, fell to the ground as he was about to be substituted towards the end of Motherwell's 5-3 Scottish Premier League win over Dundee United.
He then received some five minutes of treatment on the field before being carried off on a stretcher and was subsequently taken by ambulance to hospital.
"Unfortunately I can confirm very, very sad news that Phil O'Donnell has lost his life," Motherwell chairman Bill Dickie said.
O'Donnell was set to be replaced by substitute Marc Fitzpatrick but fell to the pitch as the change was taking place.
"I don't want to say anything more than how devastated everyone at the club is for his wife and his young children. That's what we are all feeling tonight, nothing else matters," Motherwell manager Mark McGhee said. "Obviously from the club's point of view we'll gather round to give his family as much support as they need."
Dickie added the cause of O'Donnell's death has remained unknown.
"We don't know what it was but there will be a post-mortem. This is a tragic happening and that's all I can say," Dickie said.
The midfielder's nephew, David Clarkson, who scored twice in the match, was substituted after being alarmed at the sight of his uncle's collapse.
"This is absolutely devastating news. Phil was not just a wonderful footballer, he was a great human being. My thoughts are with his family at this tragic time," chief executive of the Scottish Football Association Gordon Smith said.
And Peter Lawwell, the chief executive of Celtic, one of O'Donnell's former clubs, said: "When the news came through, everyone at the club was obviously shocked. Obviously our thoughts are with his family to whom we offer extreme condolences for a tragic loss of a young life."
O'Donnell, who won one Scotland cap, began his career with Motherwell and rejoined the club in 2004 following spells with Scottish champions Celtic, who he joined in 1994, and English League side Sheffield Wednesday.
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Lin Yun-ju on Thursday handed Taiwan two key victories as they advanced to the semi-finals of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London. The Taiwan men’s table tennis team beat Sweden 3-2 in five singles matches. The 24-year-old Lin, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7 and nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” opened the tie by defeating world No. 2 Truls Moregard 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 13-11) before clinching the deciding fifth match with a 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5) win over Anton Kallberg to hand his team the overall victory. Kuo Guan-hong put Taiwan up 2-0 with a 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 8-11,
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
RSS