getty images December 25, 2025, 4:29 p.m

In Burundi, during an official match of the second division, the midfielder of the club Gepier du Lac Igiranese Aime Geriku died. The incident occurred during a match against the Amasipiri team, writes Sport News Africa.

During the game, the football player suddenly fell on the lawn. Medical personnel tried to give him first aid, but the athlete died on the way to the hospital. The Football Federation of Burundi confirmed the fact of the tragedy and expressed its condolences to the family and relatives of the deceased, without specifying the official cause of death.

According to local sources, the football player could swallow a coin, which he probably used as a talisman. At the same time, the publication African Public Radio reports that the cause of the tragedy could not be a monetary item, but the so-called “gri-gri” amulet, which is associated with traditional beliefs in the region.

Final conclusions regarding the circumstances of the football player’s death should be provided by the relevant services after the investigation is completed.