Tenerife’s Jesus De Miguel honoured in tearful tribute by teammates, fans

What the report says

CD Tenerife held an emotional memorial at the Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez stadium in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, for forward Jesus De Miguel, who died after a collision during a second-division match earlier in the week. Teammates wore black, supporters chanted his name, and the club displayed tributes including a banner remembering him as “Demi 9.” The ceremony drew thousands of fans, along with De Miguel’s family, who were publicly honoured by the club and greeted with applause.

Captain Enric Gallego delivered a tearful speech describing the difficulty of speaking about a teammate in the past tense. The club also pledged financial support for De Miguel’s young daughter until she turns 18, underscoring the human impact of the loss beyond football. Supporters’ groups from Tenerife and rival Canary Islands club UD Las Palmas also joined the tribute, reflecting rare solidarity across local rivalries.

The memorial came amid wider debate in Spanish football over whether matches should have been postponed to allow players time to grieve. The Spanish players’ union had asked for a break from competition, and some fixtures were indeed delayed, but there was no league-wide suspension. Al Jazeera reported that questions remain over emergency response procedures and player welfare, with calls for clearer protocols, better medical coverage and more input from players when decisions are made about grief-related pauses in competition.