| QUOTE |
| BRUSSELS, Belgium: FC Brugge and Belgium forward Francois Sterchele died in a car crash on Thursday. Police and his team said Sterchele, 26, died early in the morning after he lost control of his Porsche and hit a tree near the city of Antwerp. No other cars were involved in the accident, police said. Sterchele was completing his first season at FC Brugge after signing a five-year contract with the club. He scored 11 goals this season for the team which is lying third in the Belgian championship with one round left to play. "He was one of the young players with enormous talent and enormous potential who could have given us so much," said former prime minister Jean Luc Dehaene, a well known Brugge fan. "It was a hammer blow when I heard the news this morning, it's so tragic." Sterchele previously played for Charleroi and Germinal Beerschot in the Belgian league. He played four games for Belgium, making his debut against Portugal in March 2007. Last season with Beerschot, Sterchele was the top scorer in the Belgian first division with 21 goals. Born in the eastern city of Liege from a family with Italian roots, Sterchele began as a junior with FC Liege. He emerged as a goal scorer in the lower leagues before moving to the top flight with Charleroi in 2005. FC Brugge replaced its Web site with a black framed photo of the player. "This is very painful for the club. Francois was a good team player," FC Brugge goalkeeping coach Dany Verlinden told VRT Television. "The players are shocked." |