R.I.P. 22-year-old Colombian footballer dies during training

Colombian midfielder Andres Balanta passed away on Tuesday at the Tucumán Health Center hospital, after collapsing during a training session of Atletico Tucuman, the Argentina first division club. The 22-year-old Balanta was reportedly treated urgently by doctors who tried to revive him, but his death was later confirmed.

The club's medical staff tried to revive him but failed and he was declared dead on arrival at the Centro de Salud hospital. It was the second pre-season training of the club.

The defensive midfielder had joined Atletico in July of 2021 from Deportivo Cali and had played for the Colombia national team in the 2019 Under-20 World Cup.

After his death, the club notified his relatives. “We put everything at our disposal so that they come to this province as soon as possible,” the club's leaders reported in a conference.

Clarin newspaper reported that in 2019, Balanta had had a similar problem for which he was hospitalised. He had then collapsed in training and had to be admitted. “He had suffered a metabolic-type syncope (slight fainting) due to low glucose, although the MRI and electrocardiogram performed on him at that time did not show anything abnormal,” Clarin noted.

In June this year, a 21- year old Fabricio Navarro a footballer from the club, had died after suffering a heart attack in sleep.