Madrid, Aug 9 (DPA) Spanish football was in a state of consternation Sunday after the tragic death of Espanyol captain Daniel Jarque.

Jarque, 26, died Saturday evening of a heart attack in his hotel room, in Coverciano, close to the Italian city of Florence.

Jarque, on tour with Espanyol, was talking to his girlfriend on the telephone when his voice cut out. The girlfriend called team-mate Ferran Corominas, who went up to Jarque's room with a club official - and found the defender dead after suffering a massive heart attack.

Italian police have found no suspicious circumstances surrounding Jarque's death, although he had never complained of any heart problems, nor had any been detected by the Espanyol doctors over the years.

The 2007 UEFA Cup finalists Espanyol decided to cut their Italian tour short, to return to Barcelona later Sunday and drive out to the club's new stadium, in the Barcelona suburb ot Cornella, to pay tribute to their captain.

Hundreds of Espanyol fans gathered around the stadium's gate 21 in honour of Jarque, who wore the number 21 shirt since joining the club in 2002.

Many fans have already requested that the stadium, which was inaugurated just two weeks ago, be named after Jarque.

Jarques' body will be repatriated Monday, after the Italian authorities have carried out an autopsy.

Jarque's death was front-page news in every Spanish newspaper Sunday, with many sections of the press linking his death to that of Sevilla's Antonio Puerta in 2007.