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Ligue 1 side Lorient are mourning the death of a club groundsman who died in a freak accident following the team’s match against Rennes on Sunday.
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The incident happened 10 minutes after the end of the match, which was won by Rennes. A large lighting apparatus meant to heat the pitch fell on 38-year-old Yohann Essirard, a father of three who had been volunteering at the company contracted to look after the pitch at Lorient for the past five years.
Despite the efforts of the rescue team and fire brigade, who had been on site for the game, Essirard died upon arrival at the hospital du Scorff, 45 minutes after the accident.
The players, technical staff and club’s employees all held a minute of silence before training on Monday morning as a tribute to Essirard.
His brother, who was also helping as a groundsman and was present on Sunday, was also taken to the hospital in a state of shock.
A police investigation has supported the theory of an accident.