Spanish footballer Jesús de Miguel, who died following a collision with an opposing player, has been laid to rest in his home town of Navahermosa. Many prominent figures attended the funeral.
Relatives, friends and senior figures from Spanish football bid farewell to Jesús de Miguel. The funeral service for the 30-year-old took place in his home town of Navahermosa, in the province of Toledo, south-west of Madrid. According to the AFP news agency, up to 400 people gathered to attend the service.
On Monday evening, during his club CD Tenerife’s second-division match against FC Andorra, De Miguel collided heavily with the opposing goalkeeper and later died in hospital. The preliminary post-mortem report cites an “accident-related chest injury” as the cause of death, as reported by the newspaper Canarias7.
Football association chief mourns: “It is an irreplaceable loss”
The head of the Spanish football association, Rafael Louzan, expressed his condolences to De Miguel’s family. “It is an irreplaceable loss,” he said in Navahermosa. This tragedy must serve as an incentive to further improve emergency care in stadiums. “It is a very difficult day. The football world must stand united today,” added Louzan.
De Miguel’s family, through his representative Manuel Hernandez, had a message read out thanking those present for “all the words, the gestures of affection, support and respect”. At the same time, they asked that their privacy be respected and that their “need to grieve in the peace and quiet that such a situation requires” be honoured, the statement said.
Spain’s national team manager, Luis de la Fuente, also attended the memorial service. “Out of grief and compassion, we offer our condolences and respect. It is the best way to show that the football world stands united. A warm embrace to all her loved ones,” he told journalists. Presidents of major clubs, led by Florentino Pérez of Real Madrid, also paid their last respects to de Miguel. The funeral itself was subsequently to take place in the presence of only the immediate family.
Players’ union calls for suspension of all league matches
Tenerife had already declared a six-day period of club mourning on Wednesday and suspended all activities of its men’s, women’s and youth teams until the end of the week. The Spanish Footballers’ Union (AFE) called for all professional league matches scheduled for the coming weekend to be cancelled, in addition to the cup matches originally planned for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, which had been called off due to de Miguel’s death.
It was the unanimous view of all players that neither the emotional nor the human conditions were in place to contest the competitions, the AFE stated on Instagram. “Because there are moments when humanity, respect and solidarity are more important than any competition,” wrote the union.