What more can be done for heart health?

Former Oxford United midfielder Mitchell Cole died on Saturday at the age of 27 after suffering from a deteriorating heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an irregular thickness of the heart.

Cole, who is brother-in-law of Liverpool’s Joe Cole, was forced to retire in February after suffering a heart attack.

The midfielder, who scored for Stevenage against Kidderminster Harriers at Wembley in the 2007 FA Trophy final, became the first goalscorer at the new Wembley stadium.

His death at such a young age highlights again the issues of heart health in football. Thankfully, more is being done to prevent cardiac arrests in England.

Tackling the problem 

The British Heart Foundation have now teamed up with the FA to help get more defibrillators into the grounds of lower league clubs in England.

The charity has already helped provide more than 9,700 defibrillators in the community since donating them in 1996, which has saved the lives of 230 people through that investment. 

The charity is being supprted by Fabrice Muamba and is a partnership thought to be worth around £1.2m.

Muamba promoted the charity for the first time on Sunday when he conducted the third round draw for the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium.

Of course, it was the former Bolton player who suffered a terrifying cardiac arrest in an FA Cup quarter-final at Tottenham in March which brought this issue into the public spotlight.

Muamba was clinically dead for over 70 minutes but the amazing work of the medical staff at White Hart Lane meant that he pulled through to tell the tale.

Although he had to retire from football in September because of his condition, he is a survivor and his support of this campaign will help in tackling the problem.

More can be done 

Of course, although this campaign has helped promote the issues of heart health in football, more can be done to prevent these issues happening.

In April, 25-year-old Piermario Morosini collapsed and died from a cardiac arrest during a Serie B game playing for Livorno.

Talented Spanish players Daniel Jarque from Espanyol and Sevilla's Antonio Puerta both died from cardiac arrests in 2007 and 2009 respectively, after taking part in training sessions and football matches.

This suggests that although the issue with heart health is being pushed forward in the UK, bigger incentives are needed in the worldwide spectrum.

FIFA and UEFA have often been criticised for their lack of common input but this is something that they need to get behind quickly.

Not enough was done by them in the aftermath of the death of Marc-Vivien Foe in 2003, when he collapsed from the same condition that claimed Cole's life on Saturday during a Confederations Cup match with Colombia.

England has taken a lead on this with the work being carried out by Muamba, the FA and the British Heart Foundation.  It is time for other governing bodies to also take action and attempt to prevent these issues happening in the game.

Cole's love never was lost 

On Friday night, Cole (pictured) tweeted: "London tonight for the usual kickabout with the lads!"

Last year he said: "A few players die of this every year. The specialists gave me a one percent chance of dropping dead and sport quadruples that risk."

His love of the game continued after his retirement as he played in the occasional amateur match.

After retiring professionally, the ex-Southend United and Oxford player, who had two young children, made a few appearances for non-league Arlesey Town.

Upon hearing the tragic news on Saturday, Arlesey tweeted: "Have just been informed of the sad news that Mitchell Cole passed away last night, the thoughts of everyone at Arlesey are with his family."

Seeing Muamba's collapse with a cardiac arrest during the televised FA Cup game in March convinced him to stop for good.

Ex-West Ham player Bobby Barnes, of the Professional Footballers' Association said: "It's a tragedy. He was a nice lad but had to give up the game he loved."

The improvements in medical facilities at football grounds have come too late for Mitchell Cole but the campaign being backed by the British Heart Foundation and the FA could prove to be lifesaving in the future. 

By Kuvan Sidhu - Follow me on Twitter @kuvinho08