Soccer News of Thursday, 29 November 2001

Source: .

Ghanaian goalie wins FIFA Fair Play award

The FIFA Committee for Security and Fair Play has awarded the FIFA Fair Play Diploma to Sumaila Abdallah goalkeeper for Dawu Youngster for his exemplary act which saved the life of Hearts Charles Taylor during a league match last year.

A statement signed by Michel Zen-Ruffinen, FIFA Secretary-General said the award would be presented to the player during the annual player of the year Gala in Zurich on Monday December 17 where the best players in the world would join him.

It would be recalled that Ibrahim Sannie Darra, a sports caster with an Accra radio station recommended the player's act to the FIFA Committee for security and Fair Play which prompted a personal congratulatory letter from the Sepp Blatter, FIFA president on February 15.

During the first half of an ABC Premier League match between Accra Hearts of Oak and Dawu Youngsters at the Accra Sports Stadium last Year, Taylor collapsed after he fell on his head following an attempted bicycle kick.

Abdallah seeing the danger Taylor was in rushed out and administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to him whiles the match was still going on before the medics arrived to attend to him.