Juan Izquierdo dies after collapsing during match

South American football is in a state of mourning following the tragic passing of Uruguayan defender Juan Izquierdo on Tuesday. Izquierdo collapsed on the field due to an irregular heartbeat during a Copa Libertadores match last week.

The 27-year-old had been receiving medical care since his collapse during Nacional's encounter with Brazilian team Sao Paulo on August 22.

In the 84th minute of the match, Izquierdo fell unconscious without any physical contact with another player. He was promptly transported off the field in an ambulance and subsequently treated in the intensive care unit at Albert Einstein Hospital.

According to a statement from the hospital, Izquierdo succumbed to brain death resulting from a cardiopulmonary arrest linked to cardiac arrhythmia.

"It is with profound sorrow and shock that Club Nacional announces the passing of our cherished player Juan Izquierdo," stated Uruguay's Nacional on X.

"We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, teammates, and loved ones. The entire Nacional community is in mourning for this irreplaceable loss."

The Uruguayan Football Association expressed that the news was profoundly distressing, while the national football associations of Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, and Colombia conveyed their sympathies to Izquierdo's family and friends.

"South American football is grieving," remarked Alejandro Dominguez, president of CONMEBOL, the governing body for South American soccer.

Ednaldo Rodrigues, president of the Brazilian Football Federation, announced that a minute of silence would be observed at every match organized by the federation on Wednesday.

Sao Paulo expressed their deep sorrow over the incident, labeling it a "sad day for football."