Sorry, just happened to be in this forum when i heard the news. Sevilla's Antonio Puerta has died today after collapsing on Saturday during the opening La Liga game against Getafe. http://football.guardian.co.uk/europeanfootball/story/0,,2157667,00.html
My lasting memory of that tournement was when cameroon made it to the final just about everyone in the world was pulling for them. They fought very hard but couldn't beat a strong France side. Henry scored the game winner and he refused to celebrate the goal, it was almost like he didnt want to be the man who sent the dagger into Cameroon's heart. It was sureal.
R.I.P. Its just too unreal when an athlete dies as a result of playing a match. Im sure Im not the only viewer who feels connected somehow.
I was watching the Sevilla game when it happened. So weird that he walked off the field (last I saw of him) and now he's dead. Terrible.
R.I.P I think these types of deaths need to be stopped and I think as a league MLS should start screening players especially because we play in summer when it's the most hot..
I was actually watching the game on GolTV when that happened. it's so sad to see such a young player go like that. RIP. Lalo
Yeah, was sad. Reminds me of watching a Hungarian player dying on the pitch for Benfica. Was really quite horrific looking. In other news, the Nottingham Forest vs. Leicester match was abandoned today at half-time due to a Leicester player collapsing in the dressing room. The Leicester manager, something of a tough man, looked really shell-shocked and upset. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/6963502.stm
I also caught eye of the part of the article which mentions his wife and baby. Marc Vivian Foe, I believe, also had a newborn. Makes it even sadder.
I didn't know who he was, I don't follow La Liga at all (mainly because games are never televised here) But thats just a damn shame. Really bothers me when a young in shape player just dies like that. Kinda puts your own Mortality into retrospect doesn't it ? Reminds me of a few basketball players I have seen die. mainly Reggie Lewis of the Boston Celtics and Hank Gathers of Loyola Marrymount (was a movie on him)
I am no expert but i have heard in the past medical experts attributed many of these deaths to irregular heart conditions that are hard to detect under normal cirumstanses, like a dormant volcano suddenly going active. Also some speculate that drugs (legal and otherwise) play a role in these type of cases as well. Performance enhancers, narcotics etc.
Medical authorities are putting the cause of death as a heart defect. Here's the gaol Puerta scored to get Sevilla into the final of the UEFA Cup in 2006. That Cup started the Sevilla run of five trophies in 15 months. RIP Antonio. [youtube]3msyoOGI0M8[/youtube]
Exactly. Thats my guess also. Unfortuantely, some drugs/medications trigger them. Thats was one of the reasons ephedrine was banned from the shelves.
The doctors placed it squarely on a heart defect. There's no reason at this time to suspect drug implications. The doctors did a very good job of explaining what happened today. It's just an unfortunate incident that seems to be happening more and more. I would say that is due to the extra pressure put on our athletes to perform more and more. The bigger issue the Spanish press seems to be pushing is the medical equipment in the stadium. This is not just a Sevilla FC problem. Local air conditioned malls are better equiped for emergencies then stadiums with 45,000 excited fans and 22 stressed athletes. There is speculation that with a better equiped stadium, with modern first-responder equipment, Puerta might have been saved.