In a tragic turn of events, a Belgian soccer player died on the pitch just shortly after saving a penalty.

On Saturday, Arne Espeel, who is the goalkeeper for Winkel Sport B, collapsed on the pitch during a game against Westrozebeke in the second provincial division of West Brabant in Belgium.

According to the Daily Mail, Winkel Sport was 2-1 up before Westrozebeke was awarded a penalty in the second half.

Espeel managed to save the penalty, however, immediately after doing so, he collapsed on the pitch.

Medical professionals did their best to assess the situation and even used a defibrillator to try and revive him, but he was unfortunately pronounced dead shortly after being transported to the nearest hospital.

Following the tragic event, the Belgian soccer club issued a statement, saying: "Winkel Sport is in very deep mourning at the sudden passing of goalkeeper Arne Espeel. We wish Arne's family and friends our heartfelt condolences at this heavy loss.

"Football is taking a back seat for some time."

Stefaan Dewerchin, a Winkel Sport B assistant also said: "The ball was still in play. Our goalkeeper got up as fast as possible to receive the ball, but then he fell.

"It was really terrible to watch. All the players showered together after the incident. When the message came that our goalkeeper was dead, it was an unusually heavy blow.

"I think some players still don't realise exactly what happened," Dewerchin added.

Speaking to Flemish news outlet, Het Nieuwsblad, Patrick Rotsaert, the club's sporting director described the tragedy as "a shock" to everyone.

"It's a tragedy and a shock to us," he said. "Arne had been with the club his whole life, and he was dearly loved. It's a really hard blow."

Upon hearing the news, fans of the goalkeeper took to Twitter to share their thoughts. Many also left tributes for the late athlete.

"This weekend, Arne Espeel (25) had just saved a penalty and then shortly after he collapsed and passed away. He died doing what he loved. Every day can be your last so try to enjoy life while you can," wrote one user while another tweeted: "The New Norm - Arne Espeel, A 25-year-old goalkeeper died suddenly during a football match in West Flanders, Belgium on Saturday evening. According to a local news outlet VRT, the young goalkeeper of Sint-Eloois-Winkel stopped the penalty kick, but he then collapsed."

Some even compared it to Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest.

"The description of how @arne_espeel died - looks eerily similar to how Hamlin fell. I can’t find video of Espeel’s collapse," one user stated.

An autopsy was conducted earlier this week, however, Espeel's cause of death has yet to be confirmed publicly.

Rest in peace. Our thoughts are with the family during this incredibly difficult time.

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FIFA is facing calls to remove a video assistant referee from the 2026 World Cup after an anti-racism monitoring group claimed a hand gesture made during a live broadcast resembled a symbol linked to white supremacist movements.

The controversy centers on Australian official Shaun Evans, who was shown on television before Germany's opening match against Curaçao on Sunday. During the introduction of the VAR team, Evans appeared to make an "OK" sign with his right hand while standing alongside fellow officials.

The incident has drawn criticism from the Fare network, a long-time partner of FIFA and UEFA that monitors racist and discriminatory behavior at international football matches. The organization said the gesture appeared similar to a symbol that has been adopted by far-right groups in some contexts.

Fare calls for action

“Advice from our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles an upside down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘white power’ symbol in global far-right circles,” the Fare network said in a statement.

“Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup,” it added, also describing the gesture as “neo-Nazi.”

The gesture in question involves touching the thumb and forefinger together to form a circle while extending the remaining fingers. In 2019, the New York-based Anti-Defamation League designated the symbol as a hate symbol, noting that it had been used by white supremacists and other far-right groups.

Context behind the symbol

It remains unclear whether Evans was making a political statement or taking part in what is commonly known as the "circle game", a prank in which a person flashes an upside-down OK sign below their waist and attempts to trick others into looking at it.

The gesture gained attention online after being appropriated by far-right groups, following a campaign that reportedly began as a hoax on the message board 4chan before spreading more widely.

Shaun Evans. Credit: Carmen Mandato - FIFA / Getty

When the Anti-Defamation League added the symbol to its hate symbol database in 2019, Oren Segal, director of the ADL’s Centre on Extremism, stressed the importance of examining the circumstances surrounding its use.

At the time, he said: “There is enough of a volume of use for hateful purposes that we felt it was important to add.”

Questions raised over broadcast appearance

Evans is one of 30 VAR officials selected by FIFA to work at the World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The VAR team operates from the tournament's broadcast centre in Dallas, despite Germany's match against Curaçao taking place in Houston.

Fare also questioned why the gesture was made during a televised introduction.

“Why is a VAR supervisor using this symbol at a global football event at the very moment he knows the cameras are on him?” Fare said. “We note that in the two subsequent games it appears TV directors have stopped introducing the VAR panel to the TV audience.”

No decision had been announced by FIFA regarding Evans' role in the tournament at the time of publication.

Featured image credit: Carmen Mandato - FIFA / Getty

Michel Plantini, the former president of UEFA and head of European football, has been taken into custody over the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

France's Mediapart claim that Platini was arrested on Tuesday as part of the investigation into the decision to host the World Cup in Qatar. He was allegedly taken to the premises of the Anti-Corruption Office of the Judicial Police (OCLCIFF)

The 63-year-old was the president of UEFA between 2007 and 2015, before he was banned by the Fifa Ethics Committee.

Platani is currently serving a four-year ban from football - which is due to end in October of this year - after he was found guilty of receiving a "disloyal payment" from ex-Fifa president, Sepp Blatter.

Qatar was named as the host of the 2020 World Cup back in December of 2010, however, there have been doubts regarding their suitability.

The former Juventus midfielder and France captain was also co-president of the organising committee at France 98, and recently admitted that the group allocations for seeded teams were made with a "dream" final in mind.

More to follow...

A prominent soccer journalist from the United States has died after collapsing while covering the World Cup in Qatar, it has been reported by several outlets including CNN and BBC News.

A witness told CNN that Grant Wahl "collapsed" while covering the match on Friday between Argentina and Netherlands.

Qatar's World Cup organizers said on Saturday that Wahl "fell ill" in the press area, where he was given "immediate medical treatment on site."

He was then taken to Hamad General Hospital, said a spokesperson for the Supreme Court Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which is responsible for planning the tournament.

US Soccer said in a statement on its official Twitter account: "The entire US Soccer family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl.

"Fans of soccer and journalism of the highest quality knew we could always count on Grant to deliver insightful and entertaining stories about our game and its major protagonists: teams, players, coaches and the many personalities that make soccer unlike any sport.

"Here in the United States, Grant’s passion for soccer and commitment to elevating its profile across our sporting landscape played a major role in helping to drive interest in and respect for our beautiful game.

"As important, Grant’s belief in the power of the game to advance human rights was, and will remain, an inspiration to all.

"Grant made soccer his life’s work, and we are devastated that he and his brilliant writing will no longer be with us."

Wahl's wife Celine Gounder also shared some words on social media in the wake of her husband's death, writing: "I am so thankful for the support of my husband Grant Wahl’s soccer family and of so many friends who’ve reached out tonight. I’m in complete shock."

Per BBC News, initial reports indicate Wahl may have had a heart attack, but this has not been officially confirmed as of yet.

Last month, Wahl was detained by law enforcement in Qatar for attempting to enter a stadium - where the US was due to play Wales - wearing a rainbow shirt in support of LGBTQ+ rights.

Security had initially barred him from entering the stadium for this "political" statement, but Wahl eventually managed to get in with the shirt on.

He wrote at the time: "I’m OK, but that was an unnecessary ordeal. Am in the media center, still wearing my shirt. Was detained for nearly half an hour. Go gays."

During an episode of his podcast Futbol with Grant Wahl, which went live days before his sudden passing on December 6, he said he had been feeling unwell.

"It had gotten pretty bad in terms of like the tightness in my chest, tightness, pressure. Feeling pretty hairy, bad," Wahl told co-host Chris Wittyngham in the episode. He went on to say that he sought treatment at the medical clinic at the World Cup media center and thought he may have had bronchitis.

After taking some cough syrup and ibuprofen, he began to feel a little better, he said.

Wahl also said he experienced an "involuntary capitulation by my body and mind" following a match on December 3.

"This isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve done eight of these on the men’s side," he said at the time. "And so like, I’ve gotten sick to some extent at every tournament, and it’s just about trying to find a way to like get your work done."

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Argentina has been celebrating its World Cup win with large-scale parties - but the celebrations took a nasty turn after a fan lost his life and a five-year-old was left in a coma.

Argentina came out on top of a nail-biting encounter with France in the World Cup final on December 18, with Lionel Messi wrapping up his illustrious career with the biggest prize in soccer.

He netted twice during the game, with Kylian Mbappe of France finding a response every time. The game went to penalties and Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez proved to be the hero after saving one and seeing another go wide - though his antics after the game had divided opinions.

As per the BBC, an estimated 5 million people took to the streets of Buenos Aires (Argentina's capital city) as the heroic players displayed the newly won trophy on an open-top bus.

Revelers flocked to the streets wearing Argentina's famous blue and white soccer jersey - and the day was even declared a public holiday.

The celebrations soon descended into chaos as things got out of hand. Police were attacked with missiles, a fan lost his life and a five-year-old boy has been left in a coma.

The players and team staff on the bus had to abandon the vehicle as it became clear that it was impossible to drive through the thick crowds. A helicopter picked them up and they waved from afar.

As reported by the Mirror, the man who unfortunately died during the celebrations was standing on a rooftop when one of the plates broke - causing him to fall from a great height.

The outlet also states that a five-year-old boy was hit by a piece of a monument that fell in the Plaza San Martin, leaving him in a coma and needing intensive care.

Young men were also reported to have been seen pelting police with bottles and stones, as law enforcement was forced to hide behind riot shields.

Eight officers were left injured with 13 people arrested for their actions - though this number is expected to rise in the coming days when events of the day become clearer.

Featured image credit: Vladimir Zuev / Alamy