Soccer: Striker Gonzalez has arm amputated

Paraguayan soccer international Julio Gonzalez has had his left arm amputated four weeks after being involved in a car crash in northern Italy, his Italian club Vicenza said today.

The striker, 24, has been in hospital since the accident, which happened on Italy's A4 motorway while he was driving teammate Gerardo Grighini to Venice's Marco Polo airport in the early hours of December 22.

Gonzalez, bidding for a place in Paraguay's squad for this year's World Cup finals, was in his second season at Serie B side Vicenza and was the team's top scorer, with eight goals in 15 appearances.

- REUTERS