Cristiano Junior

Ljubljana (Slovenia): Fifa plans to establish a medical research centre in response to a spate of heart-related deaths on soccer pitches across the globe, president Sepp Blatter has said.

Blatter?s comments came only two days after Slovene goalkeeper Nedzad Botonjic suddenly collapsed and died during training.

?We were very much touched by the event, when 28-year-old goalkeeper Botonjic died,? Blatter said on Wednesday during a one-day trip to the Slovene capital, Ljubljana. ?We have called the national associations and the clubs to make sure that the players undergo controls.?

Blatter stressed the importance of cardiovascular testing, adding that Fifa will next month approve the establishment of a medical centre in Zurich to help uncover the reasons behind sudden deaths of top athletes.

Similar centres will then be set up in other countries to help diagnose problems in advance, and prevent fatalities.

?Especially when we are speaking of heart disease, it is not enough to make only electrocardiograms. This will only give you an indication that the muscle is working well. But the muscle itself can be affected,? Blatter said.

Botonjic, a first-choice goalkeeper for first-division club NK Ljubljana since 2003, collapsed during training on Monday.

Last month, Hungary international Miklos Feher collapsed while playing for Benfica and died. In December, Brazilian footballer Cristiano Junior died in Bangalore during the Federation Cup final.

Notably, Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe died during the 2003 Confederations Cup in France.