Argentine footballer Franco Nico passes away after post match assault by hooligans

Argentine regional football club Tiro Federal's captain Franco Nico has passed away after getting hit in the head following a football match on Saturday.

Nico was set upon by a group of hooligans after the team finished their match against rival team Chacarita Juniors.

The match was terminated 15 minutes before full time after a brawl broke out on the pitch, with the referee subsequently sending off eight players, The Independent reported.

According to Nieto's cousin Pablo Nieto, the footballer was heading to his car with his wife and their one-year-old daughter when three attackers surrounded him.

They apparently kicked and punched the late captain, before rendering him unconscious by hitting him over the head with a stone.

Nieto, who became the 15th person to pass away in football-related violence this year, underwent surgery for his injuries on Tuesday, but passed away on Wednesday.

Fabian Bordon, the local police chief, revealed that the force had arrested three men in connection with the footballer's death, the report added.