The Valencia–Real Madrid incorporates a tribute to Jesús de Miguel, the footballer from CD Tenerife who died this week. The pause during the match is part of a joint initiative of LaLiga, the Real Federación Española de Fútbol and Liga F to remember him during the matchday from 6 to 9 November.
The chosen number has a specific meaning: the nine was his shirt number. The protocol establishes that the referee stops the match at the first stoppage from that minute onward, while the video boards show a video in memory of the striker. After the applause, the game continues.
This is not a sporting incident or an exclusive decision of Mestalla. The initiative allows different teams and supporters to share the remembrance of the Tenerife player throughout the weekend.
What the Valencia–Real Madrid tribute means
Valencia announced several actions for the Saturday, 7 November match. Among them is the flag of CD Tenerife at half-mast, which will remain so until the end of the Primera and Segunda División matchday.
The program also includes that the players from both teams come onto the pitch interspersed, with remembrance shirts and a floral offering. A minute of silence is observed before the start, while the pause during the match is linked to the striker’s shirt number.
The Valencian club conveyed its condolences to the family, friends and teammates of Jesús de Miguel, as well as to the Tenerife organization.
Why the pause can come after the nine-minute mark
The reference to the nine-minute mark does not imply that the match must stop exactly when the clock reads 09:00. The procedure announced by LaLiga places the tribute at the first stoppage of the game from that moment onward.
The difference explains that the instant of the tribute may vary between stadiums. The shirt number identifies the remembrance, but the pause adapts to the flow of the match.
The commemorative shirts include the message "Always in our memory". The events before the match and the video during the game are part of the same tribute.
Tenerife brings its fans together at the Heliodoro
The remembrance for the striker has also had its own event at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium. Tenerife called on its fans this Saturday at 18:00 Canary time, 19:00 peninsular time, with free access until the stands are full.
The club prepared a ceremony with speeches by representatives of the organization and of the squad. The call allowed supporters to gather in the stadium to bid farewell to the footballer, on a day different from a competitive match.
During the event, Tenerife’s main shareholder, Rayco García, announced that the club will sponsor the daughter of Jesús de Miguel. Radio Club Tenerife took up that commitment, expressed in front of those attending the tribute.
Which matches have been postponed
The tribute program coexists with the postponement of several fixtures. In Segunda División, on their initially scheduled dates, the Castellón–Eibar, the Granada–Tenerife and the Andorra–Mallorca matches are not played.
In Liga F, the Costa Adeje Tenerife–Deportivo Alavés match has also been postponed. The organizations announced that they will communicate the new dates of those matches at a later time.