KEY POINTS:
MADRID - Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta, one of Spain's most promising young players, died on Wednesday (NZT) three days after collapsing during a Primera Liga match.
The 22-year-old Spanish international had been in a critical condition in the Virgen del Rocio hospital in Seville since being admitted on
Saturday.
"We regret to report that the patient Antonio Puerta died at 1430 (0030 NZT) today. The death was caused by postanoxic encephalopathy and a multiple failure of his organs caused by the prolonged cardiac arrest that provoked his admission to hospital," the hospital said in a statement.
Sevilla said that Puerta's body would be taken to the club's Sanchez Pizjuan stadium where fans could pay their respects and that the player would be buried on Thursday.
The player was due to become a father for the first time in around a month and a half, Spanish media reported.
Sevilla's Champions League third qualifying round second leg against AEK Athens in Greece on Wednesday has been postponed but Friday's European Super Cup against AC Milan could still go ahead, UEFA said.
"Tonight's match is postponed, but we have spoken to the clubs involved in Friday's game and it goes ahead at the moment but we will transform the game on Friday into a tribute to Antonio Puerta," said UEFA's William Gaillard, special advisor to president Michel Platini.
"Of course we will respect the Sevilla players if they feel they do not want to play. But we hope that this can be a dedication to their former team mate."
AC Milan, Sevilla's opponents in the Super Cup, expressed their condolences at the player's death, saying they were prepared to call off the game if necessary.
Puerta collapsed after jogging back towards his own goal 35 minutes into the game against Getafe at the Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday night.
Team mates and medical staff immediately rushed to his side and were seen preventing him from swallowing his tongue as he lost consciousness, but he was able to walk from the pitch.
Doctors said that he collapsed again in the changing rooms and had to be given cardiac resuscitation before being taken to hospital.
There have been a number of high-profile deaths related to heart ailments in football in recent years.
Among those have been Cameroon's Marc-Vivien Foe who collapsed and died in a Confederations Cup match in 2003 and Miklos Feher of Benfica who died in Jan 2004.
Sae Caetano defender Serginho died in a Brazilian championship match in October the same year and Hugo Cunha of Uniao Leiria was another victim in 2005.
Puerta was a product of Sevilla's impressive youth system breaking into the side in the 2004-5 season, before becoming a regular the following year as a versatile left sided player who could play as a wing back or midfielder.
He was fondly remembered by Sevilla fans for the spectacular goal he scored against Schalke 04 that qualified them for the UEFA Cup final for the first time in April 2006. He was part of the team that went on to retain the UEFA Cup last season and win the King's Cup. He had won one cap for Spain.
DEATHS OF FOOTBALLERS
Here are details of some previous deaths of footballers:
CUNHA: In Portugal, Uniao Leiria midfielder Hugo Cunha collapsed and died during a game with friends in June 2005. He was 28.
DOS SANTOS: In October 2002, the 28-year-old Brazilian striker Marcio Dos Santos died of a heart attack just hours after scoring a goal for Peruvian side Deportivo Wanka.
FEHER: In January 2004, the 24-year-old Hungarian international Miklos Feher died after collapsing from a heart attack in a Portuguese league game between his club Benfica and Vitoria Guimaraes.
FERREIRA: A 20-year-old Brazilian player Maximiliano Patrick Ferreira, known as "Max", died in hospital in July 2003 after feeling unwell during a training session for his club Botafogo-Ribeirao Preto.
FOE: Cameroon's Marc-Vivien Foe collapsed during Cameroon's 1-0 victory against Colombia in a Confederations Cup match in June 2003 in Lyon in France and died shortly afterwards. Foe featured at the 1994 and 2002 World Cups, and twice won the African Nations Cup, in 2000 and 2002. He played for French first division clubs RC Lens and Olympique Lyon, as well as West Ham United and Manchester City in England.
LONGHURST: Twenty-five year-old York City striker Dave Longhurst died after collapsing two minutes before half-time in a league match against Lincoln City in Sept. 1990. The game was abandoned and an inquest revealed he had suffered from a rare heart condition.
OKWARAJI: In August 1989, Nigeria's Samuel Okwaraji collapsed 10 minutes from the end of a World Cup qualifier against Angola in Lagos and died from cardiac failure.
SERGINHO: Sao Caetano defender Serginho died after suffering an apparent cardio-respiratory arrest during a Brazilian championship in October 2004 match against Sao Paulo.
- REUTERS
