CHEICK TIOTE...Born: June 21, 1986 Nationality: Ivorian Clubs: Anderlecht, Roda, Twente, Newcastle, Beijing Enterprises International caps: 52 (1 goal) Honours: Belgian First Division (2006, 2007); Belgian Super Cup (2006, 2007); Eredivisie (2010); Dutch Super Cup (2010); Africa Cup of Nations (2015)

                                                                                   

CHEICK TIOTE 

 Born: June 21, 1986

Nationality: Ivorian

Clubs: Anderlecht, Roda, Twente, Newcastle, Beijing Enterprises 

International caps: 52 (1 goal) 

Honours: Belgian First Division (2006, 2007); Belgian Super Cup (2006, 2007); Eredivisie (2010); Dutch Super Cup (2010); Africa Cup of Nations (2015)                                                                                                    Tiote left Newcastle in February after nearly seven years at St James' Park, during which time he made 156 appearances and scored one goal. After a memorial service was held in Beijing earlier this week his body was flown back to Ivory Coast ahead of Sunday's funeral. Ex-Newcastle team-mate Papiss Cisse, who plays for Shandong Luneng, paid tribute to Tiote during the memorial in China.

'I lived some extraordinary moments with this man and today he's gone,' said Cisse at the service as he fought back tears.

Beijing Enterprises players were also present at that service as they paid their respects to Tiote.  Tiote hadn't been in China that long - a few months - so he must have had a medical to complete the transfer. Was nothing picked up in that medical?

'Is anything actually being done? Is it being looked into? We need to nail it down and get to the bottom of why and what it is.

'Because it seems to be happening to more and more professional footballers - fit, strong men.'

Including a seven-year spell with the Magpies, Tiote also featured for Anderlecht, Twente and made 55 appearances for the Ivory Coast senior side, winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015.