Cheick Tiote’s body will arrive back in the Ivory Coast on Thursday where tributes will be paid by his former teammates, after he died suddenly from a heart attack days before his wife is due to give birth.
The 30-year-old Ivory Coast midfielder collapsed during a training session with Chinese second division outfit Beijing Enterprises on 5 June.
He only quit English football for China in January.
His devastated wife Madah is expecting their third child.
The body Tiote Cheick Ismael will arrive on Thursday, June 15 at 13:50 (GMT) at Abidjan International Airport,” the IFF said in a statement.
The national team returned to Abidjan on Monday after an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying defeat to Guinea and presented their condolences to the player’s family.
Tiote had only joined the Chinese team in February after a seven-year stay with Newcastle United.
AFP
