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) north-east 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.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2012