Former Liverpool star Avi Cohen, the first Israeli to play in England, has been in a coma for the past eight days and the 54-year-old has been declared brain dead, his son said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters at Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital, Tamir Cohen, himself a midfielder for Bolton Wanderers, thanked Israelis for their support and prayers since his father went into a coma as a result of head injuries suffered in a December 20 motorcycle accident in Tel Aviv.