Laporta breaks with tradition before Aston Villa match to mourn Tenerife player

Barcelona president Joan Laporta expressed his grief at the death of 30-year-old Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel and offered the club’s condolences to his family, teammates, club and supporters. He did so before Barcelona’s Champions League match against Aston Villa.

Mundo Deportivo reported that De Miguel suffered a cardiac arrest during Tenerife’s match against Andorra in Spain’s second division, the day before Laporta offered his condolences. At a lunch attended by officials from Barcelona and Aston Villa, Laporta departed from his usual practice of talking about the strength of the upcoming match or sending messages to Real Madrid, and limited his remarks to words of grief and condolence.

Laporta said that a minute’s silence would be held before the match in tribute to De Miguel, and that the measure would also apply to the other matches organised by UEFA. He added that the minute’s silence at Spotify Camp Nou would also include the victims of the train accident in Urda, in the province of Toledo.

Aston Villa football director Roberto Olabe also expressed his grief at the lunch, affirming the club’s respect for the player’s family and Tenerife and describing what happened as a tragedy.