Promising Bangladesh Under-15 female footballer Sabina Yasmin died of acute fever on Tuesday at a hospital in Mymensingh, said her family members and Bangladesh Football Federation.
The 14-year old footballer was declared dead around 3:00pm after she was rushed to Dhubaura Upazila Health Complex with fever. ‘We did not get any chance to provide her with any treatment as she was brought dead to our hospital. It was also not possible to get her medical history immediately,’ Waizuddin Faraji, a medical officer of the hospital, told New Age.
Sabina’s relative Sabuz Miah said she was suffering from fever for the last two days but they did not take her to the hospital as she felt somewhat better on Monday.
‘Her condition deteriorated today [Tuesday] and we immediately moved to the hospital with her. She vomited on the way and lost her sense. Later we found her dead,’ he said.
Sabina, a nine-grade student of Kalasindur School and College, a breeding ground for many budding female footballers, was supposed to report to the BFF for the preliminary training camp of the National Under-15 squad today.
Ratan Miah, a teacher of the Kalasindur School and College, said that the sudden death of Sabina came for them as a bolt from blue, which left every teacher and student of the school heartbroken.
‘Most of her team-mates became senseless once they heard the news. I couldn’t express how we felt when I first heard it,’ Ratan said in a chocked voice.
A pall of gloom descended on the BFF house once the players and officials got the news of the premature death of such a promising player.
BFF had invested a lot in female football over the past few years after the recent success of National Under-16 squad at Asian level.
Sabina also trained with the National Under-16 female team that recently participated in the AFC Under-16 Championship final round in Thailand, though she could not make it to the final squad.
BFF’s women’s team assistant coach Mahbubur Rahman Litu said Sabina was scheduled to join the Under-15 camp today along with 10 other Kalasindur players ahead of SAFF Under-15 Championship in November.
‘She was a regular player of the Under-15 team. She trained with the Under-16 team before the AFC championship. She was granted leave for few days after the Under-16 team left home for Thailand,’ he said.
‘It was a great loss for us because as a striker she had a great future,’ said Litu.
National Under-16 goalkeeper Mahmuda and a fellow student of Kalasindur School and College broke down in tears as she got the news of the death of her team-mate.
‘It’s really difficult for us to accept such death,’ said a weeping Mahmuda.
Maria Manda, another member of Under-16 women’s team, also expressed her deep sorrow at Sabina’s death.
‘She was with us in the camp for the last few years because she had a great future as a striker,’ Manda said.
‘When we left Dhaka for Thailand, she went back to home. We heard that she was a bit sick two days ago but we could never think that it would end her life,’ she said.
Sabina, who had lost her father Selim Miah several years ago, will be buried today at Ranipur graveyard after her namaz-e-janaza at the Kalasindur Madrasa Ground at 10:00am.
-With New Age input
