Jason Nono Mayélé was a footballer from Democratic Republic of the Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...

.

Career

Mayélé played as a striker or winger and was a member of the Chievo team that qualified for Europe in their first Serie A

Serie A

Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

 season which he was signed in October. He had represented his country at the African Cup of Nations

African Cup of Nations

The Africa Cup of Nations, also referred to as the African Cup of Nations or African Nations Cup, officially CAN , is the main international association football competition in Africa. It is sanctioned by the Confederation of African Football , and was first held in 1957. Since 1968, it has been...

. Previously he had played for Cagliari

Cagliari Calcio

Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B....

 in Italy and LB Châteauroux

LB Châteauroux

La Berrichonne de Châteauroux is a French association football club based in Châteauroux. The football team is a part of a sports club that consists of several other sports and was founded in 1883. The team currently plays in Ligue 2, the second division of French football, having finished 16th in...

 in France.

Death

He was only 26 years old when he died in a car accident. His car collided with another while Mayélé was attempting to catch the Chievo team bus for a match against Parma

Parma F.C.

Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...

. He was taken to hospital in Verona by helicopter, but he died of his wounds.

Since his death, his shirt number of 30 has been retired

Retired numbers in football (soccer)

Association football clubs around the world sometimes retire squad numbers to recognise players' loyal service, sometimes as a memorial after their death.-Background:...

 in his honour by Chievo.

External links

• BBC News Article Statistics Up Until Start of 1999–2000 Season