An Algerian footballer, Sofiane Loukar, suffered a heart attack and died after colliding with his goalkeeper in a second division match in Oran on Saturday, a local news outlet reported. The 28-year-old Loukar, from Mouloudia Saida, was hurt after running into his goalkeeper mid-way through the first half of their Ligue 2 clash at ASM Oran. He resumed playing after treatment but then collapsed some 10 minutes later, the agency reported. Loukar was rushed to hospital but died of a heart attack on his way, APS said.
When news of his death was broken to the two teams, they abandoned the match. Video clips from inside the stadium showed several attempts by the medical staff to revive the player’s heart after he suffered a heart attack, but the attempts were unsuccessful. According to press reports, the player who died on the field at the age of no more than 30 years old, was in good health, according to the data contained in his medical file. The player fell in a normal way on the field, and then died quickly as a result of a heart attack that afflicted him while playing the match in the framework of the second division championship.