More than a hundred of mourners attended the memorial service for Pavel Srnicek, the former Newcastle United goalkeeper.
Supporters and friends of Srnicek went to the parish church of St Andrew, in Newcastle, to say last goodbye to Srnicek yesterday.
The 47-year-old goalkeeper suffered a heart collapse on December 20, 2015, while running. He was placed into an induced coma but nine days after, due to irreversible brain damage, doctors and his family decided to turn off machines that kept him alive.
Pavel Srnicek was a former goalkeeper in Newcastle United for more than 15 years.
Steve Wraith, in his speech at the memorial service, thanked all supporters for their condolences and expressed his own support to Srnicek’s family and added: “He was one of us. He was a gentleman, and a Geordie.”
Steve Harper, who attended also the funeral in Ostrava, Czech Republic, last Monday, said in a speech: “You loved Newcastle, but Newcastle loved you more.”
Pavel’s brother Milan was also at the memorial service and said he had the ‘strongest experience’ in the last 14 days, when he saw Newcastle fans remembering his brother.
On his request, the Czech song “Me and You” by the band Krystof was played at the end of the service.
“Pavel is a Geordie,” were the last words that filled the church.