Ex-France forward Diarra dies at 36

PARIS: Former France back-rower Ibrahim Diarra has died at the age of 36 following a heart attack, sources close to the player told AFP on Wednesday.

Diarra, who made his only Test appearance against Italy in 2008, had been in a Paris hospital in a critical condition since Friday after having suffered a cardiac arrest.

Those near to the former Top 14 champion said he then suffered numerous strokes which had caused irreversible brain damage.

He started his professional career with Montauban before spending seven seasons with Castres, where he won the French title in 2013 and retired five years later.

"He brought laughter and a ray of sunshine. He gave everything on the field," Laurent Travers, one of Diarra´s coaches at Montauban, told AFP.