A 29-year-old Swedish soccer player collapsed and died of a suspected cardiac arrest, minutes after giving his team the lead in a league match on Sunday. Pitea player Victor Brannstrom had scored after just four minutes against Umedalen in their Division Two North clash on Sunday when he suddenly sat down and slumped over, according to local newspaper Norrlandska Socialdemokraten.
A kit man and nurse immediately administered CPR to the player until three ambulances arrived and Brannstrom was taken to Pitea hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 4 pm (1400 GMT). "It is completely incomprehensible. It is so tragic. This is the hardest thing I have experienced," Pitea vice-chariman Christer Berglund is quoted as saying. Brannstrom, who had previously played for Helsingborg iVn Sweden's top flight, had retired from the sport in January following a similar collapse but returned to action when tests indicated he had no serious heart problems.