The 25-year-old goalkeeper died suddenly during a football match in West Flanders, Belgium on Saturday evening.
Winkel Sport B goalkeeper Arne Espiel died at the scene after stopping a penalty kick in the second half of the match.
According to local news channel VRT, the young goalkeeper from Sint-Louis-Winkel stopped the penalty kick, but he then collapsed.
“The ball is still in play,” said Winkel Sport B’s assistant coach Stephen Deverchin. “Our goalkeeper got up as quickly as possible to get the ball, but then he fell down. It was really scary to see.”
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The game was stopped immediately.
Emergency services rushed to the site and tried to revive the 25-year-old goalkeeper for half an hour.
Espiel was then rushed to a hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
“After the incident the players all showered together and then we sat in the canteen,” says Deverchin. “When we got the message that our goalkeeper was dead, what an incredibly strong blow. I think some players still don’t know exactly what happened.
No details on the cause of death have been released yet. According to VRT, an autopsy will be conducted on Monday.
More from local news Nieuwsblad:
[Translation]The disbelief is great and the sadness is immense at the West Flemish amateur club Winkel Sint-Eloise. The club plays in the first national but has a B team in the second provincial. All young friends of the municipality who have been playing together since childhood. On Saturday evening, the team received Vestrojebek at 6 pm. The score was 2-1 after 45 minutes and the visitors had a penalty fifteen minutes into the second half. Mohamed El Baghdadi’s penalty kick was saved by home goalkeeper Arne Espiel, who shouted yes when he suddenly went down again. He was shaking and no one knew what was happening. While Espiel was lying down, the seriousness of the situation was seen and he was given first aid. Emergency services also arrived at the site and did everything possible with, among other things, a defibrillator, but help was of no avail.
His younger brother Aaron (20) sat on the bench for the first time in weeks since his injury and watched it unfold before his eyes.
“It’s a disaster and a shock for everyone,” said Winkel’s sports manager Patrick Rotsart.
“Arne was with the club all his life and was much loved. He was a wonderfully sympathetic lad, always in a good mood and willing to help. It’s a really heavy blow. First of all for his family and our whole club.
Of course the match was stopped.