A man has been arrested for stabbing a Spanish footballer to death in what police have described as a ‘random’ attack. Chipiona CF player Francisco Naval Perez, 24, died in Puerta del Mar hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning after being stabbed in the chest in Cadiz on Saturday afternoon.
Perez – also know more commonly as ‘Paco’ – was attacked with a large knife by the suspect, who allegedly did not say anything to him during the attack.
Police have arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with Perez’s death, who has not been named and has no criminal record, according to Spanish local press.
Authorities believe that Perez was the victim of a random attack because there is nothing to link the two men and the man in custody had no reason to stab the married footballer, the Spanish Civil Guard said.
Perez, a father of a young daughter, played for Andalucian amateur club Chipiona CF, based in Spain’s Segunda Andaluza Senior league. His club paid tribute to the footballer with an emotional post on social media.
A club statement read: “Well, we don’t even have words to begin with, this seems like a nightmare, but unfortunately it’s real, our player Paco Naval Perez has left us, he died this morning fighting between life and death.
“Paco was only 24 years old, [he had] a lifetime ahead, our condolences to all his family and colleagues from our club, guys, strength in these difficult times. Rest in peace.”
Tributes poured in from around the Spanish football world, with Real Betis midfielder Rodri writing “D.E.P” – which translates to ‘rest in peace’ – underneath the announcement.
La Liga champions Real Madrid also paid tribute to Perez with a social media post of their own.
“Real Madrid CF deeply regrets the death of Paco Naval, a Chipiona CF player, and wishes to express its condolences and affection to all his family, his club, teammates and loved ones. RIP,” the tweet read.
Marca report that the suspect is currently being held at a police station for questioning following their arrest.
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