Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said on Tuesday the tragic death of Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel following a heavy on-pitch collision was “shocking”.

Tenerife’s De Miguel died on earlier on Tuesday after being put in intensive care on Monday.

The 30-year-old was clattered by FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono in a Spanish second division match, which was subsequently abandoned.

Spanish media said De Miguel suffered cardiac arrest and was resuscitated, before his death the next day in hospital.

Madrid held a minute’s silence before training on Tuesday in honour of De Miguel.

“I think it’s something very shocking for the world in general, so imagine for the world of football, for people like us who are on the pitch competing every day,” Mourinho told reporters.

“It’s hard, it’s sad. Obviously, all our words and feelings go out to the family and friends of the player who passed away, and I also think this has to be a very, very, very difficult moment for the other player (Owono) involved in the situation.

“It’s sad for everyone.”

Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper Owono had raced into the middle of the pitch to try and clear the ball, colliding with De Miguel. The Andorra stopper was sent off.

Mourinho’s Real Madrid face AEK Athens in the Champions League on Wednesday. Los Blancos have three wins from three so far in the league phase.

The veteran Portuguese coach said winger Vinicius Junior would start, amid a four-match domestic suspension.

Yan Diomande has excelled in Vinicius’s absence, while Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler and Endrick are also competing for minutes in Madrid’s star-studded attack, which also features France superstar Kylian Mbappe and England’s Jude Bellingham.

Mourinho insisted having so many talented players was no issue.

“We have a lot of quality players — having many players is never a problem for me, the problem is having few,” said Mourinho.

“The problem is not having options. Having many is good. Diomande is a player who can play on both wings, Brahim is a player who can play on both wings, Endrick more on the right but also on the left.

“Vini, of all of them, is the one who is best suited to play on the wing, on the left wing. We know that.”

Culled from AFP by Staff man Jacques Eboka Eboka

Republic of Ireland players wore black armbands in solidarity with Palestinians killed in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and refused to shake hands with their Israeli counterparts before their UEFA Nations League match.

Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who captained the side in place of Dara O’Shea, deliberately avoided shaking hands with Israel captain Dor Peretz during the pre-match ceremony in Backa Topola, Serbia. Kelleher had completed the customary handshakes with the referee and one of his assistants.

The gesture echoed O’Shea’s decision before the teams’ first meeting in Debrecen, Hungary, last week, when he refused to shake hands with Israel captain Manor Solomon. Ireland won that match 3-0 after scoring three goals in the first half.

Sunday’s League B Group 3 encounter ended in a 1-1 draw. Troy Parrott put Ireland ahead from the penalty spot in the 39th minute after Peretz fouled Jimmy Dunne, while Peretz equalized for Israel shortly after halftime.

The match was played behind closed doors at a neutral venue after the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) moved the fixture from Dublin in June, citing “operational reasons” amid widespread calls for a boycott in protest against Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The FAI had also called on UEFA in November to ban Israel from international and club competitions.

The decision to proceed with the two fixtures had faced strong opposition in Ireland. More than 160 Irish sportspeople signed an open letter urging the FAI to reconsider, while protesters gathered outside the national team’s hotel in Dublin before the first match.

The SIPTU trade union also displayed a large poster beside Dublin’s River Liffey urging the players to “Go with your conscience!” and “Don’t play with genocide.”

Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson had previously acknowledged the growing pressure on the squad, saying it was approaching “a breaking limit.”

Reserve goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu was the only Irish player to withdraw from both matches. He said it was his “personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.”

Former Ireland coach Brian Kerr criticized the FAI for proceeding with the fixtures, saying the association had “lost the respect of the Irish people.”

The FAI, however, argued that withdrawing could expose Ireland to UEFA sanctions, particularly with the country set to co-host the 2028 European Championship alongside England, Wales and Scotland.

Earlier during Thursday’s 2-2 draw with Austria, pro-Palestinian protesters threw tennis balls bearing Palestinian flags onto the pitch, while another protester attempted to enter the field carrying a Palestinian flag.

Tensions surrounding the Ireland-Israel fixtures also escalated on Saturday when an Israeli journalist accused Irish players of calling Israeli players “monkeys” during the previous match. Ireland’s communications officer Kieran Crowley immediately rejected the allegation as “a lie” and ended the news conference.

The Irish squad had reportedly voted 14-8 to proceed with the fixtures after a lengthy deliberation in Debrecen following Bazunu’s withdrawal.

Ireland’s national broadcaster RTÉ has provided only limited coverage of the two matches against Israel to fulfill its contractual obligations. It has not provided studio presentation, commentary on the international feed, or analysis, and said it would not accept advertising or sponsorship around either game.

RTÉ has also announced that Ireland will boycott the Eurovision Song Contest for a second consecutive year because of Israel’s participation.

Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid secured a narrow 2-1 victory over his former side Inter Milan in a high-octane Champions League opener on Tuesday.

The record 15-time European champions took a two-goal lead through Kylian Mbappe and Fede Valverde thanks to two Inter errors in the first half.

Carlos Augusto smashed home for Cristian Chivu’s team in the second half but they could not find an equaliser at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Madrid coach Mourinho led the Italian side to Champions League glory in 2010 at the same stadium, the last time either they or he managed to lift the trophy, a few days before joining Los Blancos for his first stint at the helm.

After two seasons without a major trophy and enduring early European exits, Madrid president Florentino Perez brought back the Portuguese veteran to try and stop the rot, and Mourinho got the team off to both a triumphant and entertaining start to the league phase.

Mourinho’s side bounced back from a first defeat of the season at Real Betis in La Liga on Friday, although goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made several smart saves and Inter were wasteful.

The Italians started energetically in attack but were destabilised by two grievous errors at the back. Madrid stopper Courtois denied Marcus Thuram and then Lautaro Martinez as the visitors probed.

However, in the 14th minute Curtis Jones’s poor pass put Yann Bisseck under pressure and Brahim Diaz poked the ball through to Mbappe, who swiftly fired home.

Madrid’s second was gobbled up by Valverde when Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez dallied on the ball despite the Uruguay international charging straight for him.

When the Spanish stopper realised, it was too late and as he tried to turn Valverde pried the ball away from him and into the net.

Mourinho’s side should have added another before half-time but Martinez made amends for his mistake with a sensational save to thwart Jude Bellingham.

Madrid hold on

Mbappe blazed past Inter’s defence and Martinez saved his low shot before somehow blocking Bellingham’s effort from point-blank range.

Bellingham missed another golden chance before the hour mark after Diaz cleverly worked his way into the area and crossed for him.

The England international might have headed home straight away but chose to control the ball and gave goalkeeper Martinez time to fly across his line and save the eventual shot.

Courtois added to his collection of impressive saves by pushing away Alessandro Bastoni’s low drive as Inter tried to find a foothold.

Madrid carved Inter open but could not put the game to bed, with Martinez saving from Mbappe and Diaz then sliding narrowly wide.

Carlos Augusto blasted past Courtois from Lautaro Martinez’s cross in the 77th minute to give Madrid a nervy ending to the game.

Madrid fans were upset when Alvaro Carreras was made to wait for a minute on the sidelines before he could come on as a substitute, because Vinicius Junior took too long to come off when he was replaced.

Courtois beat away a deflected Henrikh Mkhitaryan effort to ensure his team took all three points.

Source: AFP