Former Newcastle United midfielder Chiek Tiote passes away at 30

Even though the Chinese club is yet to make a statement in regards to the incident, reports of the footballer's death were confirmed by his spokesperson Emanuele Palladino.

"It is with deep sadness that I confirm that my client Cheick Tiote sadly passed away earlier today after collapsing in training with his club Beijing Enterprises. We cannot say any more at the moment and we request that his family's privacy be respected at this difficult time.We ask for all your prayers," Palladino said.

Tiote's former Newcastle teammate Demba Ba expressed his condolences via Twitter

The Ivorian made his debut for Anderlecht in 2005 and played for the Belgian club for a period of three years following which he joined the Dutch club FC Twente. The midfielder then bagged a 3.5 million pound deal with the Premier League club Newcastle United in 2010 and stayed at St. James Park for a span of seven years. He only scored once for the Magpies in the historic 4-4 draw against Arsenal in February 2011.

Tiote made a meagre 22 appearances in Newcastle's relegation campaign in the 2015-16 season and the defensive midfielder made his last appearance for the Toon against Birmingham which they won 3-1. Tiote then headed out to China to join second division Chinese club Beijing Enterprises.