Dinamo Bucharest Player Dies After Collapsing On Pitch [UPDATE]

Patrick Ekeng, a Dinamo Bucharest midfielder who also played for Cameroon’s national team, died Friday after collapsing on the pitch during a league match against Viitorul Constanța. He was 26.

Ekeng came on as a second-half substitute, and collapsed seven minutes into his appearance. Gazeta Sporturilor—which is in Romanian, and not easily translated— reports doctors attempted to resuscitate Ekeng for 90 minutes as the player was suffering cardiac arrest. The newspaper has also suggested the ambulance that took Ekeng to the hospital was not equipped with sufficient equipment to treat him, and that it was initially unable to reach the pitch because it was blocked in by another car.

The Romanian Cup final, in which Dinamo was scheduled to play, has been postponed.

Update (9:45 a.m.): Gazeta is now reporting a defibrillator was available at the stadium, but not used.