blackbuzz
August 29th, 2007, 02:52 AM
SEVILLE, Spain (AFP) - - Sevilla's Spanish international defender Antonio Puerta died on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack during a Spanish league match on Saturday, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) said.
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"It's official. Puerta has died," a RFEF spokesman told AFP.
The 22-year-old had been in "very critical" condition in the intensive care unit of Seville's Virgen del Rocio hospital where he had been hooked up to a life support machine.
Confirming Puerta had died, the hospital said the death followed "postanoxic encephalopathy", a delayed coma resulting from a reduction of oxygen supply to the brain, and "secondary multiorgan failure following a prolonged cardiac arrest."
The hospital added he had also suffered irregular palpitations or arrhythmia in the right side of his heart.
Puerta, a star in Sevilla's successful UEFA Cup defence last season and the club's top three league finish, collapsed after half an hour of their 4-1 win over Getafe on the opening day of the Spanish league season.
He was able to walk gingerly to the dressing rooms where he collapsed a second time before being taken to hospital.
Puerta is not the first footballer to die of a heart attack.
In January 2004 Benfica's Hungarian international striker Miklos Feher died during a Portuguese league match from a heart attack and a year later Portuguese Hugo Cunha of first division Leiria also died following a cardiac arrest.
In 2003 Cameroon international Marc-Vivien Foe collapsed and died while playing in the Confederations Cup tournament in France.
And Colombian teenager Victor Alfonso Guerrero collapsed and died during training in April last year.
In 2005, France introduced a pilot programme designed to prevent sudden deaths of athletes through use of cardiac massage and the introduction of pitchside defibrillators.
According to French medical authorities, some 40,000 people suffer a sudden cardiac-related death in that country alone each year.
The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Medical Commission in December 2004 also debated the issue, calculated to affect barely one in every 50,000 athletes but which has nonetheless now claimed another high-profile victim.
The study recommended screening of athletes showing any signs of detectable cardiovascular conditions, urging them to fill in a medical questionnaires to determine as far as possible if they might be at risk.
Earlier Tuesday, the hospital had said of Puerta: "The clinical evolution of the patient is unfavourable," citing prolonged cardiac arrest which had damaged Puerta's organs and led to a lack of oxygen to the brain.
The Spanish Football League (LFP) announced that next Monday's league match between Sevilla and Osasuna had been postponed as a mark of respect.
"The Spanish professional league wishes to pass on its most sincere condolences to the family of Antonio Puerta of Sevilla and to all connected with Sevilla," the LFP said in a statement.
"The LFP has declared an official day of mourning for the next round of matches and has asked all affiliated clubs to maintain a minute's silence before games," the statement concluded.
European football's governing body, UEFA also granted a Sevilla request for Tuesday's Champions League return leg against AEK Athens in Greece to be postponed.
UEFA spokesman William Gaillard said Tuesday: "Sevilla requested that they be allowed to return home and in the circumstances we could only grant that request."
It has now been scheduled for Monday, September 3 although the UEFA Cup champions' Super Cup match against Champions League winners AC Milan, scheduled for Friday, has been maintained.
Gaillard added: "In theory the Super Cup match (against AC Milan) will be held as planned, and will be played in homage to Puerta this Friday in Monaco."
Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20070829/tsp-fbl-esp-puerta-death-47c0590.html
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"It's official. Puerta has died," a RFEF spokesman told AFP.
The 22-year-old had been in "very critical" condition in the intensive care unit of Seville's Virgen del Rocio hospital where he had been hooked up to a life support machine.
Confirming Puerta had died, the hospital said the death followed "postanoxic encephalopathy", a delayed coma resulting from a reduction of oxygen supply to the brain, and "secondary multiorgan failure following a prolonged cardiac arrest."
The hospital added he had also suffered irregular palpitations or arrhythmia in the right side of his heart.
Puerta, a star in Sevilla's successful UEFA Cup defence last season and the club's top three league finish, collapsed after half an hour of their 4-1 win over Getafe on the opening day of the Spanish league season.
He was able to walk gingerly to the dressing rooms where he collapsed a second time before being taken to hospital.
Puerta is not the first footballer to die of a heart attack.
In January 2004 Benfica's Hungarian international striker Miklos Feher died during a Portuguese league match from a heart attack and a year later Portuguese Hugo Cunha of first division Leiria also died following a cardiac arrest.
In 2003 Cameroon international Marc-Vivien Foe collapsed and died while playing in the Confederations Cup tournament in France.
And Colombian teenager Victor Alfonso Guerrero collapsed and died during training in April last year.
In 2005, France introduced a pilot programme designed to prevent sudden deaths of athletes through use of cardiac massage and the introduction of pitchside defibrillators.
According to French medical authorities, some 40,000 people suffer a sudden cardiac-related death in that country alone each year.
The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Medical Commission in December 2004 also debated the issue, calculated to affect barely one in every 50,000 athletes but which has nonetheless now claimed another high-profile victim.
The study recommended screening of athletes showing any signs of detectable cardiovascular conditions, urging them to fill in a medical questionnaires to determine as far as possible if they might be at risk.
Earlier Tuesday, the hospital had said of Puerta: "The clinical evolution of the patient is unfavourable," citing prolonged cardiac arrest which had damaged Puerta's organs and led to a lack of oxygen to the brain.
The Spanish Football League (LFP) announced that next Monday's league match between Sevilla and Osasuna had been postponed as a mark of respect.
"The Spanish professional league wishes to pass on its most sincere condolences to the family of Antonio Puerta of Sevilla and to all connected with Sevilla," the LFP said in a statement.
"The LFP has declared an official day of mourning for the next round of matches and has asked all affiliated clubs to maintain a minute's silence before games," the statement concluded.
European football's governing body, UEFA also granted a Sevilla request for Tuesday's Champions League return leg against AEK Athens in Greece to be postponed.
UEFA spokesman William Gaillard said Tuesday: "Sevilla requested that they be allowed to return home and in the circumstances we could only grant that request."
It has now been scheduled for Monday, September 3 although the UEFA Cup champions' Super Cup match against Champions League winners AC Milan, scheduled for Friday, has been maintained.
Gaillard added: "In theory the Super Cup match (against AC Milan) will be held as planned, and will be played in homage to Puerta this Friday in Monaco."
Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20070829/tsp-fbl-esp-puerta-death-47c0590.html