Player dies of heart failure
A BELGIAN footballer has died of heart failure at the age of 24, three days after collapsing during a reserve team match.
Lokeren defender Gregory Mertens had been on a life-support machine, which his family opted to switch off yesterday after doctors gave him little chance of survival.
Mertens’ “modesty made him an indispensable person,” Lokeren said.
Former Belgium Under-21 international Mertens played against Premier League side Hull in this season’s Europa League.
Details of his heart condition have not been established, but he passed all pre-season health checks stipulated by European chiefs Uefa.