MADRID, 18 (EUROPA PRESS)
Former CD Tenerife player Juan Padrón, former vice president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and former president of the Tenerife Inter-Island Football Federation, died this Monday at the age of 89, the federation confirmed.
"The Spanish football community wishes to express its deepest condolences for the loss of Juan Padrón Morales, a historic footballer and official of our sport who held the presidency of the Canary Islands Football Federation and the vice presidency of the RFEF, in addition to serving as a UEFA and FIFA official. Padrón passed away this Monday in his beloved Tenerife at the age of 89. May he rest in peace," the RFEF stated on social media.
The midfielder from La Laguna joined CD Tenerife, in the reserve team, in the summer of 1954. Halfway through the 1954-55 season in the Second Division, Carlos Muñiz gave him his debut with the first team, at the age of 19, on Sunday, February 6, 1955, against Terrassa.
In the 1960-61 season, he was instrumental in CD Tenerife's first promotion to the First Division, led by Heriberto Herrera, and the following season he played 23 of the club's 30 matches in the top flight of Spanish football. He remained with the club after relegation before retiring in the 1964-65 season, having played 11 matches as a Tenerife player, 226 matches, and scoring 26 goals.
After hanging up his boots, he co-founded the Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE), a member (1972-1977) and president (1979-2022) of the Tenerife Football Federation, vice-president of the RFEF during Ángel María Villar's time, and a member of several UEFA and FIFA committees.
Padrón was arrested, along with Villar, in 2017 as part of the "Soule case." Both were accused of repeated offenses of dishonest administration, misappropriation of funds, and falsification of documents during their time at the RFEF, and were still awaiting sentencing. He was released from prison after former Spain national team coach Javier Clemente posted the €300,000 bail imposed by National Court judge Santiago Pedraz.
CD Tenerife has confirmed that the first-team players will wear black ribbons in their final preseason match, next Saturday at the I Triangular la Isla Bonita stadium in La Palma. A minute of silence will also be observed in their memory during the first league match at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium, against AD Mérida.
