Spanish football authorities postponed all Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina matches scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, after CD Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel died at 30 following a collision during a second-division match on Monday.
Spanish football rarely stops its cup programme for a single player, so the nationwide postponement underlined the shock across the sport and gave clubs, players and supporters a day to mourn a death that followed a routine challenge on the pitch.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation said it postponed the first-round Copa del Rey matches and third-round Copa de la Reina matches scheduled for Tuesday as a mark of respect and solidarity, following confirmation of De Miguel’s death.
The federation also called off the official presentation of Spain’s under-21 international fixture against Japan, scheduled in Almendralejo, and said revised schedules and new dates for the postponed fixtures would be announced in the coming days.
CD Tenerife announced on Tuesday morning that De Miguel had died at 8 a.m., a day after he was hurt in the closing stages of Monday’s Segunda Divisíon match against FC Andorra at Tenerife’s stadium.
Reuters reported that the match was abandoned seven minutes into stoppage time after De Miguel collapsed following a clash with Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono, who had rushed out of his area to clear a long ball and struck the forward in the chest with his knee.
De Miguel received treatment on the pitch for more than five minutes before he was taken to hospital, and reports said he suffered a cardiac arrest before his death was confirmed on Tuesday morning.
Real Madrid observed a minute’s silence before training on Tuesday, according to reports, while Espanyol postponed the presentation of new coach Eder Sarabia to Wednesday.
Closing fact: confirmed so far are De Miguel’s death, the postponement of Tuesday’s Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina matches, and the cancellation of the under-21 presentation; not yet confirmed are the new dates for the postponed fixtures, which the federation said it would announce in the coming days.
