Football world mourns: George Chigova dies at 32, sparking vaccine speculation
HARARE — The football world is mourning the untimely demise of George Chigova, the Warriors goalkeeper, who passed away at the age of 32 at his South African residence.
Chigova, revered as a champion shot-stopper, succumbed to a heart ailment. His demise echoes the recent passing of another football great, Rahman Gumbo, intensifying the pall of gloom over the sport’s community.
His journey in the sport also saw impactful stints with teams like Dynamos and Polokwane City, leaving an indelible mark at each stop. Best known for his tenure with SuperSport United, Chigova’s career was halted following a sudden heart attack earlier in July.
The Warriors’ former guardian of the goal, a proud product of Harare’s Aces Youth Soccer Academy, shared the ranks with renowned stars like Knowledge Musona and Khama Billiat. Chigova’s legacy shines brightest for his exceptional performance during the 2018 COSAFA Cup quarter-final, where his heroics in the penalty shootout propelled the Warriors to victory.
However, his untimely passing has sparked a flurry of speculation and concern on social media, with many pointing to the Covid-19 vaccine as chief suspect in the champion’s untimely demise. These suspicions follow growing reports of myocarditis, a condition linked to mRNA vaccinations, particularly in younger individuals.
Comments from various Twitter users reflected this apprehension. One KingGunner remarked, “Heart attacks are slowly becoming a new pandemic,” while Thulani Dube suggested the Covid vaccine as a possible cause, accusing the public of wilful blindness to the issue. “We are not ready for that discussion,” he said.
Echoes of similar concerns were evident in numerous other comments.
Despite these public fears, heightened by a notable surge in adverse event reports related to the Covid vaccine, which exceed the total reports for all other vaccines put together over 30 years, health authorities continue to assert the safety of the vaccines, encouraging booster shots to combat the Covid-19 virus.
Nevertheless, these assurances seem to be falling on increasingly skeptical ears, as evidenced by the low 2% uptake of free booster shots in the United States.
The Zimbabwe Football Association has yet to comment on Chigova’s vaccination status, leaving the community to grapple with the loss of a beloved figure and the unanswered questions surrounding his untimely departure.
