The Bishop of Tenerife, Eloy Santiago, will preside over a funeral Mass on Saturday, November 7, at 6:00 p.m. at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium, home of CD Tenerife, in memory of footballer Jesús de Miguel, according to Alfa y Omega. The 30-year-old striker died on Tuesday after colliding with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono during a match.
The Cabildo of Tenerife will participate in the ceremony, has declared a day of official mourning, and has called on citizens to join the tribute. In its statement, the corporation spoke of the «pain and consternation of all Tenerife.» On Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., a minute of silence was observed at the doors of the Cabildo headquarters.
The bishop expressed his condolences to the family and the club
Eloy Santiago expressed his condolences on social media to the family, loved ones, and the club for the player’s death. The Saturday Mass will be held at the team’s own stadium, where the collision that ended the player’s life occurred, and the entire squad is expected to attend.
The funeral and burial in Navahermosa
Jesús de Miguel’s body was taken to Navahermosa (Toledo), the hometown of his parents and grandparents, although the player was born in Madrid. There, on Thursday, November 5, at 3:00 p.m., a funeral Mass was held at the parish church of San Miguel Arcángel, attended by the CD Tenerife squad and board, national team coach Luis de la Fuente, Spanish Football Federation president Rafael Louzán, and Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez. The City Council declared three days of official mourning.
According to Rayco García, the club’s majority shareholder, the entire CD Tenerife squad would attend the burial. The farewell in Navahermosa took place, in the words of journalist Jesús Tobarra, in a silence in which the Mass could be heard from outside the church, reflecting the pain of friends, neighbors, and family.
The collision occurred during a 50-50 ball in the final minutes of the match against FC Andorra, which was definitively suspended in the 108th minute to allow medical services to enter. The player died on Tuesday at the Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, where he had been admitted to the ICU. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Jesús Owono released a statement saying he is finding it very difficult to come to terms with what happened.