Football: Ebosse killed by piece of slate, says Algerian Minister

ALGIERS - A piece of slate thrown from the stands killed Cameroon striker Albert Ebosse during his Algerian club JS Kabylie’s match with USM Alger according to the Algerian Sports Minister cited by local media on Sunday.

“The piece involved is identical to objects found outside the stadium, it is a serrated piece of slate,” said the minister Mohamed Tahmi, who added that it had been discovered on a building site close to the 1er Novembre Stadium.

The Minister said that work was taking place at the time of the match on August 23 and there were plenty of loose stones, rocks and other objects that could be used as projectiles on the site.

The initial results of the autopsy carried out on August 25 on 24-year-old Ebosse, Kabylie’s leading scorer last season, revealed he had died as a result of a serious head injury caused by a sharp object.

The Cameroon forward was fatally hit following his side’s 2-1 loss to USM Alger. Fans pelted the pitch with missiles as the players returned to their changing rooms at the stadium.

He was pronounced dead after he was rushed to a hospital at Tizi Ouzou, east of the capital Algiers.

His death led to the suspension of all football competitions in the country and JS Kabylie cannot play a home game until the end of the investigation.