A footballer has been left devastated after his father died in the stadium car park after a match.
Dragoș Huiban, who plays in the Romanian SuperLiga with Metaloglobus București, was left shattered after his 78-year-old father Gheorghe Huiban passed away moments after the final whistle.
The 36-year-old attacker had just come off the bench in the 81st minute during his side’s 2-2 draw with Oțelul Galați on Saturday (2 May).
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Gheorghe had travelled from Bârlad with other family members, including his wife, to watch his son play at the stadium in Galați.
After the match, he was waiting in the car park for Dragoș to emerge from the dressing room when he suddenly felt unwell and collapsed.
The emergency services arrived quickly and performed CPR for around 45 minutes, but were unable to save him.
Paramedics said the cause of death was a heart attack.
Gheorghe, a former school headmaster, had a medical history that included a stroke eight years earlier.
Metaloglobus coach Florin Bratu described the scene as “shocking”, revealing the entire squad from both clubs witnessed the efforts to revive him.
He said: “Huiban’s father was at the match with his family, and after the match, in the stadium car park, he waited for Dragoș to come from the dressing room.
“He suddenly felt unwell and collapsed.
“The emergency services intervened very quickly, the doctors performed resuscitation procedures for 45 minutes, but they were unsuccessful.”
He added: “We are all with Dragoș, it is very shocking.”
Dragoș, a former Romania U19 international, chose to remain in Galați with his family rather than travel back to Bucharest with the team, as reported by Need To Know.
The 36-year-old, who joined Metaloglobus in 2022 after a career that began at FCM Bacău and included spells at CSA Steaua București among other top-tier clubs, is currently the team’s second-top scorer with six league goals this season plus one in the Romanian Cup.
He has yet to publicly comment on the sudden passing of his father.
In their first-ever season in the Romanian SuperLiga, Metaloglobus were confirmed relegated earlier this month after a dismal run that only saw two wins in 30 matches.
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