Miklos Feher

Lisbon: Portugal’s soccer chief declared on Monday a day of mourning after the on-field death of Benfica’s Hungarian international Miklos Feher, the victim of an apparent heart attack.

The 24-year-old striker collapsed on Sunday during a televised league game, the second international to die on the field in seven months. A heart condition killed Cameroon’s Marc-Vivien Foe at the Confederations Cup in France last June.

“This is a bad day for us,” Gilberto Madail, chairman of the Portuguese Soccer Federation, said. “Last night was a truly black night.”

Under a light rain, hundreds of mourners gathered at Benfica’s Stadium of Light in Lisbon. Feher collapsed on the rain-sodden pitch in injury-time of the match against Vitoria Guimaraes with Benfica leading 1-0. Benfica had taken the lead in injury-time through Fernando Aguiar.

Referee Olegario Benquerenca blew the final whistle after consulting both captains as there was still a minute or so of play left.

TV showed repeated footage of Feher smiling at the referee after receiving a yellow card. He leaned over with his hands on his thighs, then slumped backwards on to the pitch.

Feher was taken to the hospital. Medical personnel gave up efforts to revive him after about one hour and 40 minutes. A hospital spokesman said Feher had died of cardio-respiratory arrest. The attorney general’s office said in a statement the autopsy was inconclusive and laboratory tests would be carried out on samples taken from the body. (Reuters)