Katsina United have confirmed the death of their player Chinedu Ozor, while dismissing reports that he briefly regained consciousness before he passed away.
Ozor collapsed during a friendly match against Niger Tornadoes at the Muhammad Dikko Stadium in Katsina. The club later confirmed his death despite efforts to save him.
In a statement released by its Media Directorate, Katsina United said several reports claiming Ozor “came back to life” after the collapse are not true. The club explained that in the chaos following the incident, Ozor’s family, “overwhelmed by shock and refusing to give up hope,” asked for further medical confirmation before his body was moved to the morgue, as they held out hope he had survived.
The club stressed that this moment of desperate hope should not be mistaken for a story of survival. “He did not regain consciousness. He passed away,” the statement read.
Katsina United acknowledged the difficulty of accepting the news, noting that Ozor’s teammates, friends and the wider club are grieving alongside his family. The club appealed to the public to stop circulating rumours and unverified information, stating that “behind every post, every headline and every video is a grieving family.”
The club described Ozor as a son, brother, teammate and friend whose life “meant so much to many people,” and asked that he be remembered with dignity rather than made the subject of speculation.
Katsina United closed the statement with a prayer for Ozor’s family and for his soul to rest in peace.
