Cardiff City midfielder Andy Rinomhota pays heartbreaking tribute as brother dies after kickboxing match

Joseph Itai Rinomhota died last Friday (March 28) having been rushed to hospital after a kickboxing match on the Thai island of Koh Samui. His brother is Cardiff City midfielder Andy Rinomhota, who has since paid tribute.

The Zimbabwe international and former Reading player also posted a screenshot of a message he sent Joseph earlier that day, wishing him luck just hours before his death.

Cardiff City are currently 21st in the Championship, with no-nonsense midfielder Rinomhota having played 29 matches for them this season, netting one assist and picking up six yellow cards in the process.

Posting on Instagram, he said: “Nothing could’ve prepared me for what’s happened and no words or pictures are going to be enough to show or express the love I have and will always have for you my brother. I’m hoping this will help to heal the pain even if only slightly. You were the most driven and positive minded person I know, always pushing for more and never settling for the minimum, always looking for that next thing to try and achieve.

“You lived life to the fullest and I know you’d have no regrets even now. As a brother they don’t come better than you, caring, kind, supportive, the list is endless, you always looked after me in every way possible and I should’ve told you more just how much that meant to me.

“Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us everyday - I know you’ll continue to watch over me and provide me with the strength and love you always have. You’ll be with me doing the things we had planned to do together, you will always be in my heart and never forgotten.”

The match was stopped in the third round after Rinomhota took several kicks to the body. He managed to exit the ring and remove his gloves but began feeling unwell while taking off his hand wraps, according to a local news report.

Witnesses said he showed signs of muscle tension, struggled to breathe, and his eyes rolled back. Though he remained conscious at first, he soon collapsed, with reports indicating his heart had stopped.

His trainer administered CPR until emergency responders arrived and took him to Thai International Hospital, located less than two miles from the fight venue on Koh Samui. He was pronounced dead at 11pm, despite the best efforts of doctors to save his life.