Uruguayan player dies on pitch

Uruguayan defender Juan Izquierdo passed away on the field last week during a Copa Libertadores match due to an abnormal heartbeat, South American football was in grief on Tuesday.

Izquierdo passed away on Tuesday at 9:38 p.m. local time (0038 GMT Wednesday), and his club Nacional said that the reason of death was cardiorespiratory arrest related to a cardiac arrhythmia, based on the physicians’ report from the Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. Izquierdo’s passing was a “irreparable loss,” according to a post made by Nacional on the social media site X.

Izquierdo’s club and his family received condolences from Alejandro Domínguez, the head of the South American football association CONMEBOL.

“South American football is grieving,” he declared. In 2018, Izquierdo debuted with Club Atlético Cerro in Uruguay’s top league. 2022 saw him relocate to Nacional. He participated in 33 games there and netted two goals. Last Thursday, São Paulo advanced to the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals with a 2-0 victory.