[Fatal soccer injury as an unfortunate sequela of collision]

The tragic death of a 26-year old hobby soccer player is described, who had a collision with the opposing goalie and suffered from a fracture of the left lateral process of the atlas, an extensive subarachnoid haemorrhage, tamponade of the third and fourth cerebral ventricles, bleeding into both lateral cerebral ventricles, infratentorial and supratentorial cerebral oedema. Furthermore, a survey of the literature concerning acute death in soccer is presented.