Czech Republic defender Frantisek Rajtoral commits suicide

Former Czech Republic defender Frantisek Rajtoral [PHOTO: COURTESY]

Former Czech Republic defender Frantisek Rajtoral has committed suicide, reports confirm.

Rajtoral, 31, who is said to have won the domestic league title four times before joining Turkish club Gaziantepspor, died on Sunday.

A statement by the Czech football federation confirmed that he had "committed suicide in Turkey."

His agent Pavel Zika also confirmed his death.

The defender played 14 times for Czech Republic, winning four domestic titles with Viktoria Plzen and playing in the group stage of the Champions League.

He left Viktoria Plzen last year to move to Turkey after a loan spell with Bundesliga club Hannover in 2014.

The Czech Football Association expressed its “deepest condolences” to Rajtoral’s family, while his former club Viktoria Plzen released a statement paying tribute to their former player: “Rest in peace Rajt, we will all miss you so much, we will never forget you.”

By AFP 2 hrs ago
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