Weak hearts, strong minds

But these are rare cases, especially in the top European leagues. One reason for that is the stringent health checks in the clubs, due to the high insurance premiums taken out on top footballers. 8216;8216;It8217;s hard to understand how such a thing could have happened8217;8217;, said Trevor Brooking, a director at West Ham United, one of Foe8217;s former clubs.

But a top Indian sports doctor says heart problems can go undetected. 8216;8216;It isn8217;t unknown for heart problems to pass rigorous tests, to remain hidden8217;8217;, says Dr PSN Chandran, Director of Sports Medicine at the Sports Authority of India. 8216;8216;Western countries usually conduct stringent tests but sometimes these problems will not show up in an EGC or a treadmill test.8217;8217;

Another cause of sudden death among athletes is doping. 8216;8216;I8217;m not implying that it8217;s the case here, but a combination of stimulants and high atmospheric temperatures can play havoc with the body8217;s thermoregulators.8217;8217; He cites the example of a long-distance runner who collapsed and died while competing in a marathon in Ludhiana 20-odd years ago. It later turned out that he8217;d been on amphetamines.

But top sportsmen around the world have played with, or overcome, heart trouble. Perhaps the most famous contemporary example is Arsenal8217;s Nigerian forward Nwankwo Kanu, who played for several years with a defective aortic valve. The problem was detected when he was to join top Italian side Inter Milan from Dutch team Ajax; three of Italy8217;s leading heart specialists examined him and said he8217;d never play football again.

However, Kanu 8212; who believed he had a 8216;8216;god-given talent8217;8217; 8212; refused to accept the verdict and agreed to undergo open-heart surgery in the US. Less than two years later, he was playing for Inter before moving to England. He has now set up a heart foundation for patients in Africa, a charity to which his Arsenal teammates have contributed frequently, and is aiming to build five hospitals in his homeland.

Less well-known is the case of West Indian batsman Chris Gayle, who suffers an irregular heartbeat. Cricket is a less stressful game than football, but the energy-sapping conditions in the Caribbean take their toll on Gayle 24 more than others; where his teammates would be excused a spell of cramps, in his case it causes raised eyebrows and a feeling of 8216;8216;there he goes again8217;8217;.

Batting against India in the second Test at Port of Spain last year, Gayle had to be carried off. The initial response was his heart was playing up, but later the Windies8217; manager clarified it was a case of 8216;8216;electrolytes imbalance8217;8217;, better known as cramps.

Gayle can be inspired by the case of Scottish international footballer Asa Hartford, who played his entire career with a hole in the heart. It was first diagnosed in 1971, when Leeds United were signing him on; the club rejected him on discovering his condition but he went on to play with distinction for Manchester City in their heydays of the 1970s.

While cardiac problems are, of course, the most serious, other top sportsmen have played their careers with less threatening ailments. Wasim Akram, one of the greatest fast bowlers ever, was diagnosed with diabetes at the peak of his career. After shedding the initial disbelief, he turned up the exercise, medical and dietary regimens 8212; it helped that he was a fast bowler because his bowling spells would burn off excess sugar, the cause of his ailment.

Earlier this month, American goalkeeper Tim Howard made history when he signed for Manchester United. Howard, 24, suffers from Tourette8217;s Syndrome, which manifests itself in the form of a physical or verbal tic. Not a big deal, you may think 8212; unless it happens when the opposing forward is bearing down on you.