Violeta Mitul played for the Moldova national team for six years.
Violeta Mitul, a Moldovan soccer player, died on Sept. 4, according to CNN. She was 26 years old. European soccer’s governing body UEFA revealed that Mitul died in a “tragic accident.” The organization went on to say that Mitul was on a mountain hike with her teammates at the time of her death.
“Police received a report between 3 and 4 a.m. about an accident in the Vopnafjordur harbor,” said a statement from Icelandic police on September 4. “A woman in her twenties had fallen off a cliff and landed on the shore. She was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation is ongoing.”
Mitul was with the club team Einherji and appeared in 18 matches this year. She was also a member of the Moldova national team and appeared in 41 matches in her career. Mitul was “kind-hearted, hard-working and always with a smile on her face,” her club told CNN, adding that she was a trusting teammate and an exceptional football player. The community of Vopnafjörður is devastated by this tragedy. Her passing is a great shock to us all and the hole she leaves behind is big.”
“With deep sadness and sorrow in our hearts, the Moldovan Football Federation extends its sincere condolences and profound regret for the passing of the National women’s football team player, one of the finest ones, Violeta Mițul,” the country’s soccer federation said in a statement to CNN. “Her loss is a profound sorrow for the football community in the Republic of Moldova.”
Before joining Einherji, Mitul played for various clubs in Spain, Italy, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Earlier in her career, Mitul won the Moldova and Romanian Cups with Alga Tiraspol and Vasas Femina, according to Daily Mail. She also played for FF La Solana, Apulia Trani and WFC Voskhod.