Former Czech Republic and Strasbourg defender Vaclav Drobny died in a sledding accident early Friday at the age of 32, Czech media said.
Drobny, who played twice for the Czech Republic, skidded off a piste and crashed into a tree in the Czech winter resort of Spindleruv Mlyn, some 140 kilometres (88 miles) northeast of Prague.
"The accident occurred shortly after 2:00 am (0100 GMT)... despite the physicians' efforts, the young man succumbed to his injuries early in the morning," said a report on the local police website.
Drobny was the captain of the Czech Republic's under-21 team that won the European Championships in 2002.
After the tournament, Drobny moved from the Czech top league to Strasbourg for which he played 42 games before being loaned to Aston Villa, but he never played for the Birmingham side.
He then moved to Sparta Prague with whom he won the Czech league title in 2007 before switching to play in a Prague regional league.
Source: AFP
