BUCHAREST, May 28: A Romanian soccer player died of an apparent heart attack after collapsing during a third-division match, an official said on Saturday. Alin Paicu, 32, collapsed during his team Minerul Matasari’s home match against Hexe Jebel Timisoara in south-western Romania and died in a car taking him to hospital in the city of Tirgu Jiu.

“Paicu headed a ball from a corner and fell down in the 17th minute,” said the visiting team’s doctor Nicolae Mititelu, who tended the player.

“He seemed to suffer a heart attack but there was no special ambulance at the field to treat and resuscitate the player,” Mititelu said.

Paicu’s case was the latest in a string of deaths in Romanian soccer in recent years.

In 2000, Catalin Haldan, skipper of then Romanian champions Dinamo Bucharest, died on his way to hospital after collapsing during a training match near Bucharest.

An investigation into his death was halted several weeks later as no cause could be found.

In 1999, Stefan Vrabioru of Astra Ploiesti collapsed and died minutes after his debut in the opening championship match against Rapid Bucharest.

Four other soccer players have died during matches or training sessions in the country in recent years.—Reuters