South American soccer was on Tuesday in mourning following the death of Uruguayan defender Juan Izquierdo, who collapsed on the pitch after experiencing an irregular heartbeat during a Copa Libertadores game last week.
The 27-year-old had been undergoing medical treatment since collapsing during Nacional’s game against Brazilian side Sao Paulo at Morumbi Stadium on Thursday last week.
Izquierdo fell unconscious in the 84th minute without coming into contact with another player. He was taken off the pitch in an ambulance before being treated at the intensive care unit of Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein.
Photo: AFP
The hospital said in a statement that Izquierdo died at 9:38pm local time following “cardiorespiratory arrest associated with his cardiac arrhythmia.”
“It is with the deepest sorrow and shock in our hearts that the Club Nacional announces the death of our beloved player Juan Izquierdo,” Nacional wrote on X. “We express our most sincere condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and loved ones. All of Nacional is in mourning for his irreparable loss.”
CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez said that “South American soccer is in mourning.”
Other federations, including in Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina, also expressed their condolences.
In a statement on Monday, doctors at the hospital said Izquierdo was put into neurological critical care because of increased intracranial pressure. He had been on a ventilator since Sunday.
Uruguayan media said Izquierdo’s parents and Nacional executives were at the hospital in Sao Paulo. He was married and had two children — the youngest, a boy, was born earlier this month.
Uruguayan national team players were among those expressing their condolences.
“Pain, sadness, it is hard to explain,” Inter Miami striker Luis Suarez said. “May he rest in peace. I wish a lot of strength for his family and friends.”
The first and second-division soccer leagues of Uruguay were postponed over the weekend due to concerns over Izquierdo’s health. Sao Paulo players wore a shirt in support of the Uruguayan player before the team’s 2-1 Brazilian league win against Esporte Clube Vitoria on Sunday.
Almost two decades ago, Sao Caetano defender Serginho died hours after collapsing at Morumbi Stadium during a Brazilian league match against Sao Paulo. Doctors tried to resuscitate him on the pitch, as tens of thousands of fans watched in shock and players wept and prayed on the sidelines.
Serginho’s death forced Brazilian soccer executives to change health protocols to allow defibrillators in every stadium. Doctors used a defibrillator on Izquierdo as he was rushed to the nearby Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein.
“Such sadness, 20 years later,” former Sao Caetano player Anderson Lima wrote on Instagram. “May God comfort his family in this sad moment.”
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