Indian footballer dies after heart attack

A footballer in India has collapsed and died during a match after apparently suffering a cardiac arrest. The news comes days after a young footballer experienced a similar attack during an FA Cup match in England. Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba remains in critical condition in a London hospital after effectively dying for 78 minutes when his heart stopped during the game against Tottenham Hotspur. According to the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Bangalore Mars Football Club striker Venkatesh collapsed towards the end of a game Wednesday against South Western Railway in the Bangalore District Football Association 'A' Division after coming on as a substitute. He was 27. With no doctor or ambulance nearby, teammates and the club's physio attended to the player, who was by now having fits, fellow player Janardhan said, according to a report in the Times of India. Local media reports said officials were forced to take Venkatesh to a local hospital in a rickshaw taxi, where he later died. "There was no pulse or respiration. We gave him CPR and defibrillator shocks, but it was too late," Dr. Ajith Benedict Royan said, in quotes carried by the Times of India. He said preliminary post-mortem reports suggest the player died of cardiac arrest. Venkatesh had represented Karnataka state at Under 16 and Under 19 level.