Leading Romanian goalkeeper Cristian Neamtu died today after a collision with a team mate caused a brain haemorrhage and sent him into a coma.
The 22-year-old Universitatea Craiova player died in a hospital in Cyprus, where he had been kept alive artificially for six days, the club's main shareholder Gigi Netoiu said.
"Neamtu did not resist and his heart stopped this morning," Netoiu said by telephone from Nicosia.
He is the eighth Romanian player in the last four years to die prematurely.
On Monday, 14-year-old player Ioan Alb collapsed and died of a stroke in a training session.
"Apparently he was perfectly fit, but Forensic Institute medical investigations showed he had a congenital problem," coach Daniel Timofte told Reuters.
Team officials denied responsibility for the junior's death saying it was not compulsory for young players to have brain examinations.