Ex Newcastle United star Andrew Cole calls for checks into footballers' heart problems

Tyne Tees
Andrew Cole
Ugo Ehiogu
Cheick Tiote
Tuesday 13 June 2017 at 10:10am

Andrew Cole is calling for more checks Credit: PA

Former Newcastle striker Andrew Cole has questioned whether more can be done to help protect footballers from heart problems following the deaths of Cheick Tiote and Ugo Ehiogu.

30-year-old midfielder Cheick Tiote died while training with Chinese club Beijing Enterprises. His family await the results of a post-mortem, but a suspected heart attack appears the likely cause at this stage.

His death comes little under two months after former Middlesbrough defender Ugo Ehiogu died of a cardiac arrest.

"If someone is only 30 and they pass away, the question that is naturally going to be asked is 'Why? What's gone on there? Why has he passed away so early?" "It's a strange one. Cheick Tiote hadn't been in China that long - a few months - so he must have had a medical to complete the transfer. Was nothing picked up in that medical?< "You'd like to think that things have moved on these days and that these types of things could be picked up in medicals.< "Players are going for vast amounts of money so you'd think the tests would be very stringent, there's no cutting corners if clubs are parting with large fees. But it's just so strange that players are passing away or having to retire with all the same sorts of problems.< "Is anything actually being done? Is it being looked into? We need to nail it down and get to the bottom of why and what it is, because it seems to be happening to more and more professional footballers - fit, strong men."<

Andrew Cole is currently recovering from a kidney transplant. The 45-year-old suffered kidney failure in 2015 after contracting an airborne virus. His 28-year-old nephew Alexander donated a kidney and Cole said it gave him his life back.