'A void that is impossible to fill' - tributes paid at De Miguel funeral

Jesus de Miguel’s funeral took place in the town of Navahermosa in Spain on Thursday.

Jesus de Miguel’s family said “the mark he has left on so many people” was something they would always remember as the footballer’s funeral took place on Thursday.

The Tenerife forward, who was 30, died after suffering a serious injury during a Spanish second division match on Monday.

After colliding with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono, De Miguel lay motionless on the pitch while being treated by medical staff and was taken to hospital, where he died at 07:00 GMT on Tuesday.

Owono was sent off for the challenge and the game was abandoned.

De Miguel’s funeral was held in his parents’ hometown of Navahermosa, Toledo, about 125km from the Spanish capital Madrid.

His Tenerife team-mates carried his coffin before the service at San Miguel Arcangel.

Current Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was among the mourners, along with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, Atletico Madrid chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin and former Real and Spain coach Jose Antonio Camacho.

De Miguel’s agent, Manuel Hernandez, issued a statement on behalf of the family, which read: “Thank you for loving him, for remembering him and for being with us.

“We cannot find enough words to thank you for every message, every phone call and every gesture of affection we are receiving.

“Feeling such affection for Jesus and seeing the mark he has left on so many people is something we will always carry with us.

“Jesus leaves a void that is impossible to fill, but also cherished memories for all of us who were fortunate enough to share our lives with him.”

Tributes have been paid to De Miguel, who joined Tenerife in the summer of 2025, with a minute’s silence being held at all games in European competitions this week.

In a statement issued by his club Andorra on Wednesday, goalkeeper Owono said he was experiencing “the most difficult days of my life”.

“I feel enormous pain over the loss of Jesus,” he added. “I think of him, his family, and everyone who loved him.”

The family also asked “with the utmost respect, that our privacy - and that of everyone who is supporting us at this time - be respected”.

In the hours after the death was announced, mourners laid flowers and lit candles beneath a black and white image of De Miguel at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez - the stadium on the island of Tenerife, where Monday’s game took place.

“We need to grieve in the peace and quiet that this situation demands,” the statement added.

“We appreciate the affection, concern and expressions of support that his loss is inspiring, and we are deeply grateful to you all.”

The Spanish footballers’ union, the AFE, made a request on Thursday for all this weekend’s matches to be postponed out of respect for De Miguel.

Tenerife’s match at Granada and Andorra’s game against Mallorca have already been postponed, as were several midweek cup fixtures.

However, all Spanish sides in European competition have played their games this week.

The AFE said of the weekend games: “The footballers have expressed their deep sorrow for this loss and do not believe that there are the psychological and humane conditions necessary for the competition to be played in normal circumstances.”

The union said its members “in every category” believed “unanimously” that the matches should not be played.

Alty bring in ex-Hull forward Brown

Pharrell Brown was an unused substitute for Hull City but never got on to the pitch for the Tigers

Altrincham have signed forward Pharrell Brown for their National League campaign.

Brown, 21, was without a club after leaving Hull City in the summer after two seasons with the Tigers, but he made 11 appearances on loan for Hartlepool United last season.

The Robins, who are seventh in the table, have not revealed the length of Brown’s deal.

Meet the people set for key role in deciding Man City fate

Manchester City have been sponsored by Etihad since May 2009

They are the five individuals at the Premier League set to play a key role in the fate of Manchester City.

The competition’s board has the responsibility of recommending a punishment after the seismic news in September of the club being found guilty of breaching financial rules by an independent commission.

While that three-person commission panel will ultimately decide on a sanction, the Premier League’s submission will be considered, along with the view of City of course, who maintain their innocence and have appealed.

It is not known when a sanction hearing will take place, nor what sanction the Premier League will want for what it describes as the most significant disciplinary case in its history, with a fine, points deduction, expulsion or the stripping of past titles all possible.

So who makes up the Premier League’s board, and how have their recommendations over punishments been received in past disciplinary cases?

BBC Sport has taken a close look.

Among various roles and responsibilities, the board is the entity responsible for prosecuting breaches of Premier League rules.

It comprises the league’s chair, chief executive, and three independent non-executive directors, with no club representatives included - in order to provide independence and neutrality.

Alison Brittain has kept a low profile since becoming the league’s first female chair almost four years ago. Formerly a senior executive in the hospitality and financial services sectors, she is also chair and trustee of The King’s Trust Group.

Described as “sensible” by one acquaintance, in September she spoke at a university event, revealing that she was initially sceptical about joining the Premier League because she had never worked in sport.

Two senior club executives - the former Arsenal CEO Vinai Venkatesham (now at Spurs), and ex-Aston Villa CEO Christian Purslow - told her that her skillset was what the league needed, helping to persuade her to apply.

She said: “They actually spent some time talking to me and saying ‘we aren’t looking for a super fan. In fact we’re looking for the exact opposite - somebody who will bring a different mindset. A business mindset, governance standards, be able to reset us a little bit into a different way’…and so I then went through the process and ended up in the job.”

Describing herself as a “lifelong Manchester United fan [who] stood in the Stretford End before it had seats, as a kid” because of her family’s allegiance, Brittain is now also a Brentford supporter. In 2025, she received unanimous backing from the 20 clubs to continue for a second three-year stint.

Speaking in 2024, Brittain acknowledged the league was “not without its challenges”. But she has hailed what she describes as “the most exciting competition in the world”, and its global appeal, calling it an “enormous soft power asset” for the country.

She also recently said that “the whole point of running the league… is to make sure the competitive balance stays really good. Because what makes us successful is this virtuous circle of anyone could win any match any day… there has to be jeopardy.”

She added: “Someone has to care about keeping that balance, because if you ask the clubs they’d rather not have that balance because they’d like to win all the time.”

When asked if that was her job, she replied: “Absolutely. That’s my job.”

According to Purslow, Brittain has “extremely good people skills and diplomacy in a role where keeping 20 owners more or less happy is not an easy job. She is a very down to earth, straightforward person, and that plays well.”

The league’s chief executive since 2019, Richard Masters is a much more familiar face to football fans.

When the independent commission’s ‘core decision’ on City was announced in September, he said it “vindicates the Premier League’s decision to pursue this case”, and that the league has “a key responsibility… to ensure that the rules, approved by the clubs themselves, are upheld to protect the integrity of the competition”.

He added that it was “paramount that the league remains competitive and fair for all clubs and for the fans. We take that role extremely seriously.”

Masters said: “There are elements of the case that remain to be decided, including, importantly, what sanction must follow for these breaches. Now we have the commission’s decision, we are committed to moving swiftly through the remainder of the process, to provide certainty for the league, our clubs and fans.”

Reportedly having grown up an Aston Villa fan, in 2024 Masters assured a parliamentary committee that “the Premier League board applies the rules consistently, irrespective of the club in question”.

The board is completed with three other directors:

Mai Fyfield - a former Sky executive who during her 20-year career at the company led its bidding for three Premier League TV cycles, and currently sits on the board of BBC Commercial.

Dharmash Mistry - a technology venture capitalist and entrepreneur who also has experience of working with the BBC as a former non-executive director at the corporation. Mistry is “smart and theoretical” according to one colleague. He chairs the Premier League’s audit and finance committee and is its representative on the FA’s board.

Matthew Ryder - a senior barrister, part-time judge and a former deputy mayor of London when he had responsibility for social mobility and social engagement. He is also a board member of the Scott Trust, which owns the Guardian newspaper, alongside other non-executive roles. Describing himself as “a longstanding and passionate football fan”, he also chairs the league’s legal advisory group. He told a conference last year that his membership of the Premier League board had been “deeply rewarding… it’s a fascinating time to be in football.”

BBC Sport has approached the board members via the Premier League, but it declined to comment.

The Manchester City case is unique in its scale, and so it is uncertain how relevant previous cases are when looking at the kind of sanctions the Premier League has recommended. But it is clear that independent commissions do not necessarily agree with the Premier League’s board when it comes to clubs’ potential punishments.

In 2023, the league argued for a 12-point sanction for Everton after the club breached financial rules, with a commission then settling on a 10-point punishment instead, which was reduced to six points on appeal.

In 2024, the Premier League suggested that Nottingham Forest should be docked eight points over a larger PSR overspend, but the commission again disagreed, settling on a four-point punishment.

This year the Premier League argued that an appropriate sanction for Leicester City - for an overspend in 2023-24 - was a 12-point deduction to be applied in the Championship. The independent commission instead recommended that a six-point deduction be imposed by the EFL.

There is also an alternative to contested proceedings.

Earlier this year the Premier League board reached a ‘sanctions agreement’ with Chelsea which resulted in a £10m fine and suspended transfer ban after admitting making £47m in secret payments to unregistered agents and third parties over transfers between 2011 and 2018.

The league said: “When considering the appropriate sanction, the board noted that the club’s proactive self-reporting, admissions of breach and exceptional co-operation throughout the investigation acted as significant mitigating factors.”

Plymouth Argyle's Finn extends Torquay United loan

Torquay United have extended the loan of Plymouth Argyle forward Tegan Finn until mid-January.

The 18-year-old has scored once in six National League South appearances since moving to Plainmoor on loan in September.

He also scored twice in an 11-0 Devon Bowl win over Holsworthy last month.

Having initially joined on a one-month deal he will now stay until the new year alongside Argyle team-mate Caleb Roberts.

Finn has played 25 times in all competitions during his time at Argyle, his last coming as a substitute in the Carabao Cup loss to Premier League side Coventry City in August, shortly before he moved to Torquay.

An island in mourning: Tenerife processes death of De Miguel

Fans have been paying their respects to Tenerife’s Jesus de Miguel following his death on Tuesday.

As you arrive on the holiday island of Tenerife, there is a profound sense of grief, pain and disbelief at the death of footballer Jesus de Miguel.

The Canary island is in mourning for the Tenerife striker, who died from injuries sustained in a collision with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a match on Monday.

The 30-year-old had quickly established himself as a club favourite, scoring 11 goals in his first season as Tenerife were promoted to the second tier of Spanish football.

But now the Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez Stadium has become a shrine to the player, with hundreds of people gathering throughout the past few days to lay flowers, light candles and pay their respects.

Bouquets, rosettes sent by clubs from across Spain, prayer cards, photographs, children’s drawings and scarves have been laid around the grounds outside gate nine.

It is a deeply moving scene. Fans and residents stand in silence, taking in the tributes.

Many are visibly tearful as the scale of the loss begins to sink in at the very place the incident happened.

Among those paying their respects were Lisa and Lee, visiting Tenerife from Stoke-on-Trent.

They had arrived on holiday at the weekend and decided to attend Monday’s match, hoping to experience Spanish football for the first time.

“We never expected something like this to happen,” they told BBC Sport.

“We knew it was serious when the players surrounded him [De Miguel], but to see players crying and actually praying on the pitch was very emotional.

“When we found out the news the next day, it just really hit us.”

The couple described the atmosphere inside the stadium as sombre and almost completely silent as spectators waited to understand what was happening.

“You always expect somebody to pull through,” Lee said. “And then seeing the news the next day, it was just unbelievable.”

They returned to the stadium on Wednesday to lay a Port Vale shirt among the tributes, wanting to show their support for the Tenerife community.

“Football has no colours,” Lisa said. “If it was one of our players, we’d be heartbroken. They’re part of your family.”

For Carlos, a player with Tenerife’s disability side Tenerife Foundation, the loss is particularly personal.

“Honestly, there are no words to describe him. He was incredible,” Carlos said as he lay a flag on the ground.

He described De Miguel as a figure who had helped shape the club’s recent history.

“He practically gave his heart and soul for the shirt. He’s already a legend at the club because, after all, we were in a very difficult position a few years ago and he helped pull us out of it.

“Without him, I don’t think we would be where we are today.”

Carlos was at Monday’s match and said he was left in shock by what unfolded.

“When I left the stadium I was trembling and I continued to feel that way for hours.

“Right now, we’re incredibly hurt and very sad. I also want to send my support to his family, who I can only imagine must be absolutely devastated.”

The sense of loss has extended far beyond the stadium.

Poli Suarez, the Canary Islands’ minister for education and sport, said Tenerife was in “complete mourning”.

“Canarian sport has been left devastated,” Suarez told BBC Sport. “The club is broken. Absolutely heartbroken.”

Suarez also stressed that the thoughts of everyone were with De Miguel’s wife, daughter and wider family.

“They are the ones suffering most directly from this loss, just as the Tenerife supporters are suffering,” he said.

The government has pledged its support to the club, players and supporters, with Suarez describing De Miguel as a footballer who had become part of the Canary Islands’ sporting history.

“The loss of Jesus de Miguel is now part of our history,” Suarez said.

“Not only because of the circumstances of his death, but also because of the affection he always showed towards our island and towards his club.”

A further tribute is planned for Saturday at 18:00 GMT, with supporters encouraged to come together to honour his memory.

“It will be an opportunity to show our affection and emotion, and to demonstrate our solidarity with the family,” Suarez said.

“We want to show all our affection for Jesus de Miguel.”