Spain mourns sudden death of Espanyol captain Jarque

Sun Aug 9, 2009 11:15am GMT

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By Mark Elkington

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish league club Espanyol were in a state of shock on Sunday following the sudden death of their 26-year-old team captain Dani Jarque.

Defender Jarque, who was about to become a father, collapsed in his hotel room on Saturday during a club tour of Italy and died of heart failure after attempts to revive him failed, the Primera Liga side said.

Jarque's death came two years after Spanish football was shocked by the death of Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta following his collapse on the field during a match.

"I find it very hard to believe these things happen," Espanyol president Daniel Sanchez Llibre told sports daily Mundo Deportivo.

"Jarque was a great person and a great professional. He was very happy because he was about to become a father. He loved Espanyol and was very excited with the new stadium and (his recent appointment to) the captaincy."

Espanyol paid tribute to the player on their website (www.rcdespanyol.com).

"The smiling, discrete boy from Sant Boi (a small town near Barcelona) has left an enormous hole in our soul, but he will always have a place in our hearts," the club said.

SUDDEN DEATH Continued...

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<p>An Espanyol supporter lights a candle during a memorial for the team's captain Daniel Jarque inside the Cornella-El Prat stadium in Barcelona August 9, 2009. Defender Jarque, who was about to become a father, collapsed in his hotel room on Saturday during a club tour of Italy and died of heart failure after attempts to revive him failed, the Primera Liga side said. REUTERS/Albert Gea (SPAIN SPORT SOCCER OBITUARY)</p>

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