April 29 – Czech international striker Josef Sural (pictured) has been killed following a minibus crash in Turkey according to his club Aytemiz Alanyaspor.
Sural, 28, died at the hospital where he and six of his team-mates were taken following the accident which occurred on the way back from a game at Kayserispor.
“Our Czech footballer Josef Sural was gravely injured when our private minibus carrying seven of our footballers had an accident coming back from an away game in Kayseri,” said a club tweet.
“Despite the Alanya Anadolu private hospital’s best efforts, Sural couldn’t be saved. May he rest in peace.”
Club chairman Hasan Cavusoglu claimed the driver of the mini bus had fallen asleep at the wheel.
A second on-board driver was also reportedly asleep when the accident happened around three miles from the club’s home city of Alanya.
Traveling with Sural were former Tottenham and Cardiff defender Stephen Caulker, former Newcastle United striker Papiss Cissé, Angola’s Dlajma Campos, Brazilian defenders Baiano and Welinton, and Ghanaian international Isaac Sackey, according to Turkish news agency Anadolu.
Sural, who joined Alanyaspor from Sparta Prague in January, made 20 appearances for his country, last featuring in their Nations League defeat by Ukraine in October.
The Football Association of the Czech Republic said news of Sural’s death brought “great sorrow,” adding: “we will never forget you.”
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