A footballer finds out about his brother’s death during half-time of a match… and continues playing

Surprisingly, when half-time came, Demirspor led 2-0. The local players left the field euphoric, without knowing that when they arrived at the locker room one of them, Maestro, would receive a blow: they told him that his brother had just died.

Obviously, the news chilled the spirits of all members of the team. The coach, Mustafa Dalciaddressed the African player: «After learning what happened, we told him: ‘If you feel bad, I can replace you. It doesn’t matter at all. “Your feelings are more important than the game.”

The player replied “no.” He decided to return to the grass with his teammates. He suffered Besiktas’ harassment with them throughout the second half. They conceded a goal, but they held the minimum advantage and they signed an unexpected victory that gives them a halo of hope in the very difficult objective of avoiding relegation.

«Truly, Maestro demonstrated an extraordinary character. Maybe my players’ response in the second half was partly due to him. That’s why We dedicate this victory, this fight, to him. “We are very happy about this,” Dalci declared after the game.

The coach’s words were reflected on the field. After the game, the players went to greet their fans at one of the backs of the stadium. There, the captain informed the followers of the death of Maestro’s brother and of his honor in deciding to continue playing. The Angolan midfielder was acclaimed from the stands and the Demirspor team completed the tribute by covering their sad but honorable teammate.