Random Thoughts

By: Armando | August 9th, 2009

When a tragedy happens in sports, especially in football where people identify so strongly with their own and you have derby games or rivalry matches that bring the worst emotions out of people, more than just competitiveness I mean, real hatred for the shirt of your opponent, and something like this happens, you find all of baggage matters one iota. None of it does. You find you have more in common with your rival than you think.

You bleed for your shirt, you support your club, but you realize how close we all really are. It could have been anyone’s team. It could have been ours. If you support Sevilla you know very well what it feels like to be a Perico tonight. If yours is Real Madrid, well all my best to the family of Ruben de la Red, it’s been a scary ride for him, he doesn’t even know if he’ll play again, but that may be best for a kid with a whole life ahead of him.

Sadly, this won’t be the last time a young kid dies playing the sport he loves. Cardiomyopathy. A disease of the heart muscle with no one cause. High blood pressure, heart trauma, valve disease, artery disease, even viral or bacterial infections. There’s talk of screening tests, cutting back on midweek games, fixture congestion and such, and just better health care for the players in general. So thanks to everyone for leaving a message here. I hope these well wishes get back to the club and to the families involved. Rest in peace Dani Jarque.

Here’s the latest from Spain about the tragedy. Some bulleted notes that I thought were interesting:

More information is coming out: Pochettino had given the players the afternoon off after practice. Most went to nearby Florence, Italia to sightsee but Dani stayed behind because he wasn’t feeling well. He was on the phone with his partner Jessica. She was 7 months pregnant. Like Antonio Puerta’s child before, another kid will grow up never knowing his or her father. Heartbreaking.
Wisely the friendly against Bologna has been cancelled as has the rest of the Italian tour. Espanyol will return to Barcelona tomorrow.
The remains will stay in Florence for the time being where an autopsy will be performed.
Reactions from the world of football: Raul, captain of Real Madrid showed what a classy player he can be by sending his and the clubs deeply felt condolensces. From Washington, D.C. Ernesto Valverde, former Espanyol and current Villareal coach, still can’t believe the news, “His hair is still on end.” Joan Laporta and FC Barcelona are in mourning with us.
A minute of silence was observed at Mestalla for Valencia v Arsenal and at Betis v Zaragoza.
Marc Torrejon, former team-mate who now plays in central defense with Racing Santander, could not continue playing against Real Union in Irun when he heard his friend had passed.
Quique Iglesias in as.com thinks the club should rename the new stadium Estadio Dani Jarque. Any opinions, I’m still mulling it over.
Dani Jarque was given Espanyol’s armband after former captain Raul Tamudo and the club decided to make the switch by mutual agreement. Jarque had been in charge for less than a month.
Jarque was on the sub-19 side that won the youth title in 2002. His team-mates on that squad were, amongst others, Ferran Corominas who found him unconscious, Andres Iniesta of FC Barcelona and Fernando Torres of Liverpool. I need to mention too that Dani Jarque was the captain of that squad.