First footballer dies of coronavirus aged 25 - after dad and uncle also lose battle

Deibert Frans Roman Guzman, who played for Bolivian second division outfit University of Trinidad, died from coronavirus following the deaths from Covid-19 of his father Belizario Roman and uncle Luis Carmelo Roman

Posted Saturday, May 30, 2020 by Dailystar.co.uk

Deibert Frans Roman Guzman has become the first football to lose his battle with coronavirus as he died aged 25 earlier this week.

Guzman, who played for Bolivian second division outfit University of Trinidad, lost his battle after several weeks in hospital.

His death comes after he lost his father and uncle to the virus over the past couple of months.

His father Belizario Roman, the former president of the club, had passed away after contracting the disease.

And Guzman’s uncle Luis Carmelo Roman, who had links to football having been manager of Deportivo Perejique, also lost his life.

Bolivian ace Deibert Frans Roman Guzman is first footballer to die with Covid-19

They shared the same house in the Paititi neighbourhood in the state of Beni, one of the states most devastated in Bolivia by coronavirus, with Belizario's wife and two daughters, according to reports.

The Bolivian Football Federation led the tributes to Guzman with Angel Suarez, the President of the Bolivian Football Federation, saying: "The Bolivian Football Federation expresses its heartfelt condolences to the friend and family of Deibert Roman Guzman, and we ask God for strength in these hard moments.

"This illness has taken recognised sportspeople. It is regrettable to give this type of information.

"As an association, we are dismayed at what is happening in the country and in the world from a virus that has taken many lives. Coronavirus is hitting Beni. We ask people to follow the Government’s orders."

In the UK, a number of players have tested positive for coronavirus with Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers also revealing he was struck down by the virus.

Rodgers said: "I could hardly walk and it reminded me of walking up Mount Kilimanjaro.

"We had a week off when we were supposed to play Watford [14 March] and then the week after that, I started to struggle.

"For three weeks I had no smell or taste. I had no strength, and a week after, my wife was the same. We were tested and both of us were detected with the virus."