Diego Mendieta, Paraguayan footballer (died 2012)

Diego Mendieta was a Paraguayan professional footballer who played as a forward. His death on 3 December 2012 reportedly caused by cytomegalovirus, an easily treatable disease, sparked international outrage after it was made known that his club Persis Solo refused to pay his hospital fees, thus resulting in his demise. Persis also owed Mendieta an estimated US$12,500 in salaries which had prevented him from returning to his native Paraguay. The International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro), a worldwide representative organisation for professional football players, dubbed his death as a "disgrace for football".