There are dramas that supersede all gambling facts in the world. Saturday evening in Belgium, Arne Espeel, the 25-year-old amateur goalkeeper, died of illness after stopping a penalty for the reserve team of Sint-Eloois-Winkel against Westrozebeke, during a a mere match in the West Flanders provincial second division, reports the Flemish daily Het Laatste Nieuws.
In the second half, the young man stopped a penalty, then collapsed, victim of discomfort. Arne Espeel was quickly taken care of by the emergency services on site, who tried to resuscitate him for thirty minutes, but the unfortunate man finally died on the way to the hospital.
“Winkel Sport is in very deep mourning following the sudden death of goalkeeper Arne Espeel. We extend to Arne’s family and friends our sincere condolences at this heavy loss. Football takes a back seat for a while,” the club reacted on social media.
Faced with the tragedy, the referee of the meeting immediately stopped the match. “It’s hard to believe what happened, awareness is coming little by little,” testified Winkel captain Emiel Debusseré, 25, who happens to be the cousin of Arne Espeel. According to initial information, the victim had no medical history. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday to determine the exact circumstances of his death.