John Collins, a former colleague of Phil O’Donnell at Celtic, appealed last night for full health screening to be mandatory for all footballers after the death of the Motherwell captain on Saturday.

Collins, who resigned as Hibernian manager two weeks ago, believes that the Scottish FA and the Scottish Premier League (SPL) must spend money to set up a system that will prevent fatalities among players. “In France, where I played, it is mandatory for every club, but in Scotland it is left up to individual clubs and very few can afford it,” Collins said. “We need to introduce something to try to prevent anyone else ever suffering as Phil did.”

As Scottish football was trying to come to terms with the death of a popular and highly respected player, Paul Lambert, the former Scotland captain, urged the SPL to call off the Celtic v Rangers match on Wednesday as a mark of respect. Motherwell have had their next two games postponed by the SPL and Gretna, who share Fir Park, where the tragedy occurred, have had their match at home to St Mirren on Wednesday called off.

Collins and O’Donnell played together at Celtic from 1994 to 1996. When O’Donnell moved to Sheffield Wednesday, he came under the managership of Terry Yorath, whose son, Daniel, died at the age of 15 in 1992 when the pair were playing football in the garden.

Yorath is also urging the British football authorities to screen footballers of all ages for health defects. “My condolences go out to Phil’s family as I know what it feels like,” Yorath said. “When you think about how much the footballers earn these days and also the transfer fees, they could introduce a levy. They could cream it off the top and that money could go towards medicals. If there was something wrong with a player, it could be used to make him better. The English PFA are screening the young lads. The older lads, like Phil, would never have been scanned at Wednesday.”

In the SPL, some clubs run general medical checks on their playing staff, but these are simply for blood pressure and heart rate. One manager, who asked not to be named, said: “Each club does its own thing and it is not in-depth. The Scottish PFA were trying to bring in testing for 16-year-olds but that costs a lot of money and they do not have it. Perhaps it should come from the SFA or the SPL.”

The English Premier League introduced annual cardiac screening for all players this season. Players have everything from their blood pressure and nervous and motor systems to their lymph nodes, chest and lungs and abdomen checked. The heart is examined for such things as sounds, murmurs, pulse and arrhythmias.

Collins, like everybody in Scottish football, was stunned to hear of O’Donnell’s death. “I met Phil a few weeks ago at Gleneagles and he was swimming in the pool with his kids,” he said. “He was a lovely person and a really good professional. Football does not have enough guys like that.”

Lambert, who like O’Donnell played for Motherwell and Celtic, believes that the SPL should call off the Old Firm derby to honour

O’Donnell, who died from a suspected brain seizure as he was about to be substituted in Motherwell’s match against Dundee United.

“I am still stunned and all my former Celtic colleagues that I have spoken to cannot take this in,” Lambert, the manager of Wycombe Wanderers, the Coca-Cola League Two club, said. “Everyone is in shock. Football does not mean anything right now. If the game has to be played, then I have no worries that it would be one of the best respected minute’s silences ever. I think the Rangers fans would observe it perfectly.”

Terry Butcher, the former England captain who signed O’Donnell for his second spell while manager of Motherwell, said: “He was the perfect role model to any young professional. Everybody loved him. I don’t know anyone in the game who did not like Phil. My heart goes out to his wife and young family. I’m so sorry for them.”

Mark McGhee, the Motherwell manager, said that the club had been “overwhelmed” by the support they had received. “Phil was a man among boys in every sense, in his attitude, his professionalism and integrity and sincerity,” he said. McGhee also read out a message from the O’Donnell family. “None of us yet can comprehend what has happened,” it read. O’Donnell leaves a wife, Eileen, also 35, and four children.

Sheffield Wednesday added their voice to the tributes.“Everyone at the club would like to express our sympathies to everyone who knew Phil,” a spokesman said. “Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.”

Tragedy on the pitch

Phil O’Donnell, the Motherwell midfield player, died after collapsing on the pitch towards the end of the Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League match against Dundee United on Saturday. He is the third player to die while playing or training this season. Here are details of some previous deaths of footballers:

Hugo Cunha
In Portugal, the União Leiria midfield player collapsed and died during a match with friends in June 2005. He was 28.

Marcio Dos Santo
In October 2002, the 28-year-old Brazilian striker died of a heart attack hours after scoring a goal for Deportivo Wanka, the Peruvian club.

Miklos Feher
In January 2004, the 24-year-old Hungary player died after collapsing from a heart attack in a Portuguese league match between Benfica, his club, and Vitória Guimarães.

Max Ferreira
The 20-year-old Brazilian died in hospital in July 2003 after feeling unwell during a training session for Botafogo-Ribeirão Preto, his club.

Marc-Vivien Foé
The midfield player collapsed during Cameroon’s 1-0 victory against Colombia in a Confederations Cup match in June 2003 in Lyons and died shortly afterwards.

Dave Longhurst
The York City striker died aged 25 after collapsing two minutes before half-time in a league match against Lincoln City in September 1990. The match was abandoned and an inquest revealed that he had suffered from a rare heart condition.

Samuel Okwaraji
In August 1989, the Nigeria player collapsed ten minutes from the end of a World Cup qualifier against Angola in Lagos and died from cardiac failure.

Serginho
The São Caetano defender died after suffering an apparent cardio-respiratory arrest during a Brazilian championship match against São Paulo in October 2004.

Antonio Puerta
The Seville midfield player died on August 28 this year, three days after collapsing during a Primera Liga match against Getafe.

Chaswe Nsofwa
The Zambia striker collapsed and died while playing a practice match for Hapoel Beer Sheva, the Israeli second-division team, on August 29 this year.