The greats of Spanish football mourn together. After the tragic death of Spanish second division footballer Jesús de Miguel (†30), hundreds of people came to his funeral in Navahermosa, 130 kilometers southwest of Madrid.
Among those present were Spain's national coach Luis de la Fuente, who was named world coach at the Ballon d'Or Gala last week, Real President Florentino Pérez and the bosses of Atlético Madrid and the Spanish Football Association. De Miguel's team (CD Tenerife) and the team from his former club CD Castellón were also there.
World champion coach de la Fuente said on the sidelines of the memorial service: "Out of pain and compassion, we send them our condolences and respect. It is the best way to show that football is united. A big hug to all their relatives." The head of the Spanish association, Rafael Louzán, also expressed his condolences to the de Miguel family. “It is an irreplaceable loss,” he said. This tragedy must be an incentive to further improve emergency care in the stadiums. "It's a very difficult day. Football must be united today," Louzán added.
“Jesús leaves a void that is impossible to fill”
De Miguel's family had his advisor Manuel Hernández read out a statement in advance. "In these moments so difficult for us, we would like to thank with all our hearts for all the signs of affection, support and respect that we receive after the death of Jesús. There are no words to thank for every message and every gesture of affection that reaches us. Thank you to everyone who remembers him," he said.
Hernández asked that the family's privacy be respected. "We must live through this grief with the calm that this situation requires. We understand the affection, interest and support that his loss generates and we are very grateful to you for it," he said. "Jesús leaves a void that is impossible to fill, but also an immeasurable memory for all those who were lucky enough to share their lives with him. Thank you for loving him and standing by us."
The memorial mass took place in the parish of San Miguel Arcángel in Navahermosa. De Miguel's parents were born in the town of 3,000 inhabitants. Navahermosa has declared three days of mourning, and the flags at the town hall were flying at half-mast. Due to the large crowds, dozens of people had to wait outside at the memorial mass. Teammates from CD Tenerife carried the coffin of their deceased player.
“Accidental chest injury,” the preliminary autopsy report states
De Miguel died on Monday after a foul in the second division game against FC Andorra. In stoppage time, de Miguel collided with Andorra's goalkeeper Jesús Owono and then remained lying on the grass. An initial statement on the player's condition stated that the rescue workers had to resuscitate the footballer on the way to the hospital. He suffered a cardiac arrest.
His condition worsened dramatically on Tuesday night. The sad confirmation followed on Tuesday morning: Jesús de Miguel died at 8 a.m. in the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital. The preliminary autopsy report names an “accidental chest injury” as the cause of death, as the Canary Islands newspaper “Canarias7” reported.
The news of the Spaniard's death went around the world. The Spanish Football Association canceled all scheduled cup games. In the Champions League there was a minute's silence and the teams played with mourning ribbons. Numerous fans have been mourning at the stadium in Tenerife since Tuesday.
The Spanish Footballers' Union (AFE) called for all professional league games to be canceled for the upcoming weekend in addition to the canceled cup games. It is the unanimous opinion of all players that neither the emotional nor the human requirements are present to take part in the competitions, AFE announced on Instagram. “Because there are moments when humanity, respect and solidarity are more important than any competition,” the union wrote.
