De Miguel death prompts players to seek postponement — SkimNews
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- Jesus de Miguel died at 07:00 GMT on Tuesday at age 30 after colliding with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono in a Spanish second-division match; he lay motionless on the pitch while treated, Owono was sent off, and the game was abandoned.
- Jesus de Miguel's family said the "mark he has left on so many people" was something they would always remember and that he left "a void that is impossible to fill"; the Thursday service was held at San Miguel Arcangel in Navahermosa, Toledo.
- Tenerife team-mates carried De Miguel's casket before the service, while Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, Atletico Madrid chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin and former Real and Spain coach Jose Antonio Camacho attended.
- Jesus Owono said in FC Andorra's Wednesday statement that he was experiencing "the most difficult days of my life" and felt "enormous pain over the loss of Jesus."
- AFE requested postponement of all Spanish weekend matches, saying footballers in every category were unanimous that the "psychological and humane conditions" needed to compete in normal circumstances were absent. Tenerife's match at Granada and Andorra's game against Mallorca had already been postponed, as had several midweek cup fixtures.
- Jesus de Miguel was honored with a minute's silence at every game in European competitions this week, although all Spanish sides in those competitions played.
- Jesus de Miguel's family asked for the privacy of Jesus and everyone supporting them to be respected, saying they needed to grieve "in the peace and quiet" the situation demanded; mourners also laid flowers and lit candles beneath his black-and-white image at Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez.
Why it matters: This weekend's schedule is the immediate issue for players: the AFE says members in every category unanimously requested postponement because they did not believe competition could proceed in normal circumstances. Two weekend fixtures and several midweek cup games have already been moved, while every Spanish side in Europe played and observed a minute's silence.
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