{"id":112820,"date":"2015-04-30T18:18:59","date_gmt":"2015-04-30T18:18:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=112820"},"modified":"2015-04-30T18:18:59","modified_gmt":"2015-04-30T18:18:59","slug":"gregory-mertens-ex-belgium-u21-player-dies-after-collapse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/04\/gregory-mertens-ex-belgium-u21-player-dies-after-collapse\/","title":{"rendered":"Gregory Mertens: Ex-Belgium U21 player dies after collapse"},"content":{"rendered":"
Belgian footballer Gregory Mertens has died of heart failure, three days after collapsing during a match.<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old Lokeren defender was treated on the pitch during the first half of Monday\u2019s reserve-team game with Genk but did not recover after time in hospital on a life-support machine.<\/p>\n
A club statement said: \u201cThe medical staff have done everything to save Gregory, but they finally had to acknowledge their impotence. \u201cGregory passed away at around 16:30.\u201d<\/p>\n
The former Belgium Under-21 international\u2019s condition had worsened since he was taken to hospital in Genk, with doctors giving him little chance of survival. On Thursday his family agreed his life support should be switched off.<\/p>\n
Lokeren say that the exact nature of Mertens\u2019s heart condition has yet to be established. But he passed all pre-season health tests required by Europe\u2019s football governing body Uefa, and was judged to be one of the fittest players at his club.<\/p>\n
He joined Lokeren in January 2014 from Cercle Brugge and played 15 league games this season, as well as featuring against Hull City in the Europa League in August.<\/p>\n