Ben Idrissa Dermé, a 34-year-old Burkina Faso international, died on Sunday moments after the conclusion of a French Cup fixture in Biguglia, Corsica.
Corsenetinfos reports that Dermé, who made three appearances for Burkina Faso, was playing for amateur side AJ Biguglia against Furiani when he collapsed following the final whistle.
The BBC reports that Dermé suffered a heart attack and was treated on the pitch by medical services, but attempts to revive him proved unsuccessful.
The spectre of footballers dying on the pitch has been seen before in English football, when then-Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba collapsed during a televised FA Cup tie in March 2012 against Tottenham Hotspur.
Muamba’s heart stopped for 78 minutes. He eventually made a full recovery but never played professional football again.
During the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, France, Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foé, a former Manchester City player, collapsed in the center circle and died shortly afterwards, with an autopsy revealing a heart problem.
