Tragedy has once again struck Argentine football and although it is for once not the fault of football violence, the sport mourns the death of a young player. 21-year-old Emanuel Ortega was announced dead earlier today, eleven days after suffering severe head injuries during the Primera C match between San Martín de Burzaco and Juventud Unida.

Ortega was on-loan at San Martín de Burzaco from Primera side Banfield and when challenging for a ball close to the touchline collided with a wall very close to the pitch that separated the supporters. The youngster received immediate attention and was rushed to hospital but even at the time, San Martín manager Cristian Ferlauto said: “He has a serious trauma to the skull and there is a worrying amount of blood.”

Ortega had suffered a double skull fracture and had multiple blood clots on the brain. Doctors put the 21-year-old into an induced coma and operated to try and reduce the swelling but his condition continued to worsen until this morning when he was declared dead.

Argentine football has been united in it’s messages of condolence to the family of Ortega.

Given how close the concrete wall is to the side of the pitch, an enquiry will be needed to ensure that something like this does not happen again. Ferlauto said at the time: “The wall is just a metre from the line. It’s crazy, there’s no protection. The security measures are taken thinking about the fans, and the fence is so high so that they can’t throw stones, but somethings are more important. It’s a disgrace.”