Footballer dad-of-three dies after being hit with vodka bottle on Prague stag do

David ‘Dai’ Richards, 31, died on Saturday following an incident on a street in Prague the previous night.

A footballer has died after being attacked with a vodka bottle while on a stag do in the Czech Republic.

David ‘Dai’ Richards, 31, died on Saturday following an incident on a street in Prague the previous night. His heartbroken family say he died in hospital in the Czech capital after he was hit on the head in a "blind attack".

His loved ones say they have been told his provisional cause of death is blunt force trauma, after he was struck once to the back of the head. David was from Mountain Ash in south Wales and the dad-of-three played for Abercynon AFC.

His devastated family have shared a tribute the "absolutely amazing father, partner, son, brother, and friend", who was the "glue of the family". According to Wales Online, David had returned from a family holiday on Thursday night before heading to Prague on Friday for the stag do of a close friend.

His sister-in-law Tammy Sheehan said: "He left the house at 5am and it was by 10pm that night our time Gemma and Jola had a phone call from [Mr Richards' friend] Nathan to say that there was an incident that had happened with David and the whole family needed to get a flight as soon as possible as he was critical."

The family said when they arrived they hoped Mr Richards would pull through his injuries. Sadly, though, life-support machines were switched off on Saturday afternoon. Detailing what they know so far about the incident Tammy said: "It wasn't a fight like what I think some people are thinking – it was a blind attack. From the attack he actually passed away from blunt force trauma. David was talking to locals in the street when he took a blow to the back of the head."

The family said a French passer-by gave first aid at the scene. They said the tragic situation was made even worse by the fact that the incident happened abroad with the family feeling as though local authorities weren't as helpful as expected. Tammy said: "What we found as a family was that they were really abrupt and blunt and just not that helpful to us.

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"It just didn't seem like a nice place to visit. We just had an awful experience even when we were asking for help and they were just looking at us really blank." Some of Mr Richards' family remain in Prague while they wait for the death certificate.

The family paid an emotional tribute to Mr Richards, adding: "We would describe David as having the heart of a lion. He was an extremely family-orientated person. He was the fun one – he always brought the energy. We described him as the glue to the family. He was an absolutely amazing father, partner, son, brother, and friend. There isn't a bad word to be said about him."

They have now set up a fundraising page to help with the burden on his partner. A statement from AFC Abercynon said: "On behalf of everyone at AFC Abercynon we send our deepest condolences to the Richards family – especially Jola, her children, and our teammate Matthew. The world has lost a good man – a father, a son, and a brother. This is a loss for all of us but the grief and sorrow that you as a family must feel are the deepest and most poignant and personal.

"As mark of respect to all involved our game [on Saturday] was postponed. Dai touched the lives of many involved at our club and we are devastated at this terrible loss. As a club we are here for any support you need and we are all thinking of you at this sad time. Rest in peace Dai." Matthew, who also played for the team, is Dai's older brother.

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A Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who has died in the Czech Republic.”

Local media in the Czech Republic reported that a 26-year-old man, who was also a tourist but whose nationality has not been disclosed, was arrested outside a hotel following the incident. Prague Morning on Tuesday quoted police spokesman Jan Daněk who said the men were part of separate groups who had been talking but an argument broke out.

According to Prague Morning he said: "One individual struck another in the head with a vodka bottle. The impact was so severe that the victim collapsed immediately and tragically died in the hospital."

Mr Daněk added: “The 26-year-old man is now facing charges of grievous bodily harm and disorderly conduct. If convicted he could be sentenced to up to 16 years in prison."

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