Akli Fairuz—an Indonesian forward for Persiraja Banda Aceh—was unable to survive the internal injuries he suffered after a horror tackle in an Indonesian Premier League match against PSAP Sigli. Attempting to score on a ball mishandled by the PSAP goalkeeper, Fairuz was met by a studs-up challenge to the abdomen.
He still managed to score, but the linesman ruled him offside.
Fairuz would ultimately die in vain.
It took six days, however, for the injuries sustained on the pitch to claim his life. Fairuz still managed to walk to the sideline under his own power, even watching the remainder of the match on the bench. He would later be admitted to the hospital. Surgical attempts to repair his bladder leakage were futile (per the Daily Mail).
Youth soccer coaches spend countless hours teaching the proper technique on how to tackle, ensuring all players take into account the safety of others. Evidently, PSAP Sigli's goalkeeper didn't harp back to his teachings.
Horror challenges the likes suffered by Fairuz, however, aren't as scarce as one could imagine. The 2010 World Cup final experienced such a brutal tackle when Nichel De Jong karate kicked Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso into next week. Inexplicably, De Jong was able to escape with just a yellow card.
Unlike Fairuz, Alonso was able to escape with his life and the 2010 World Cup title.
Obviously, not all challenges can be avoided in a free-flowing game like soccer, but make no mistake, there's still no place for horror tackles like the ones suffered by Alonso and Fairuz.
What kind of precautions can FIFA and other lawmakers of the game take to avoid an incident like the one suffered by Akli Fairuz? Tell us @SportsWN
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