Goodbye to José Ángel de la Casa

The soccer voice for an entire technology of followers leaves us at 74

One other horrible information. This Monday, Could 5, 2025, José Ángel de la Casa died on the age of 74 due to a pneumonia that he has not been in a position to overcome. His state of well being was very delicate since he had lengthy been combating for Parkinson’s illness. Nice loss for the world of sports activities and communication. It goes out ceaselessly one of the vital unmistakable voices of Spanish sports activities journalism.

José Ángel de la Casa Tofiño was born in Los Cerralbos, Toledo, on December 1, 1950. His first contacts with the game arrived with the soccer ball. He performed in Third Division with Talavera and so they say that with choices to have signed for lightning, however a severe knee harm prevented him from progressing throughout the enjoying land, so he ended outdoors them however with a microphone. Bachelor of Info Sciences in Journalism, started on the radio and in 1974 he entered RNE, the place he got here to collaborate in packages corresponding to ‘Radiogaceta de los Deportes’. In 1977 he went to TVE, the place he would proceed to linked to sports activities collaborating in areas corresponding to ‘Sports activities Heart’, ‘Tiempo y Marca’ or the legendary ‘Research Stadium’, of which he was first presenter and years later director. Over time he would change into director of manufacturing of TVE sports activities packages between 1996 and 2005 and in one other quick second stage between 2006 and 2007, the yr of his retirement early by the ERE in TVE. However, aside from packages and positions of duty, if one thing has gone into the historical past of tv José Ángel de la Casa was for his basic broadcasts of soccer and athletics, self-discipline that he confirmed of deep information. He was current in seven Olympic Video games, from Moscow 1980 to Athens 2004, together with, after all, ours in Barcelona 1992. It was he who narrated, for instance, the gold medal of Fermín Cacho.

Nonetheless, for many people, the soccer ball is the very first thing that involves thoughts once we title José Ángel de la Casa. As he counted in an interview, his first social gathering narrated was a Actual Madrid-Argentina that was performed throughout the framework of the commemoration acts of the seventy fifth anniversary of the White Entity in 1977. That was the beginning of thirty years of televised soccer with its background voice. In 1979 it was the flip of the Nationwide Staff, with which he ‘debuted’ in a Spain-Dinamarca performed on November 14 of that yr. And since then there have been a number of hundred soccer matches that he narrated for nearly three many years. In fact, there was one which has been recorded ceaselessly within the collective imaginary of the entire nation, the legendary Spain-Malta assembly of 12-1 and the unforgettable ‘rooster’ that escaped the nice of José Ángel when Juan Lord scored the ultimate twelfth objective that gave Spain the classification ticket for the Eurocup of France. However it’s unfair that you just all the time discuss that sport, another in its prolific tour as a commentator. José Ángel de la Casa narrated us World Cups, Eurocups, pleasant matches in addition to all types of membership competitions broadcast on our public tv. We hearken to him seeing League matches, Copa del Rey, Supercopa, Europe Cup, Recopa, UEFA Cup … and so forth On March 28, 2007. His final sport in TVE was a Spain-Islandia performed in Palma de Mallorca. “Effectively, nothing extra, girls and gents. Spain continues, the classification continues, the matches will proceed. That is over. Effectively, I, after these thirty years, permit me a minutite merely to inform you that I’ve loved rather a lot, that I hope you have got additionally performed it throughout all this time. The Spanish crew continues to be right here on Spanish Tv, the classmates will comply with however I inform you goodbye. It has been a pleasure to be right here with all of you.

After his pressured retirement of TVE and surpassed the interval of incompatibility with the EREThe communication leaving its monumental skilled class, which had already been acknowledged upon receiving, in 1998, a wave prize.

THE VOICE OF FOOTBALL

For many people at present soccer is a little more orphan. The voice of soccer ‘goes for an entire technology of followers who grew up listening to him within the narratives of the matches. For individuals who had been children within the eighties or the nineties of José Ángel de la Casa, it turned one thing like what may imply that of Matías Prats Cañete for our mother and father and grandparents. A soundtrack of the game of our lives. Each December 21, the date on which Spain-Malta of 1983 was performed, I preferred to say its determine. The truth is, in 2017 I already devoted a weblog put up that I titled, exactly, ‘José Ángel de la Casa, La Voz del Soccer’. Then I informed how a lot I had price me to get used to the biking broadcasts of Carlos de Andrés after so a few years associating the bicycle with the voice of Pedro González Menéndez, who died in 2000. And that the identical factor had occurred to the ball. Since he was a toddler and till 2007, soccer virtually all the time introduced the voice of José Ángel de la Casa within the framework of that tv universe through which Matías Prats, Jesús Álvarez, Paco Grande or Alfonso Celemín, amongst some others … however above all José Ángel de la Casa had been additionally, whose voice ended up turning into a synonym for soccer.

Aside from the Nationwide Staff, as a fan of Actual Madrid the voice of José Ángel de la Casa evokes reminiscences of kid Chromos albums, the plates to play soccer on the street, the video games with the varsity crew or with associates on the road, soccer video games … and all that, in flip, jogs my memory of so many associates who’ve been dropping themselves on the trail of life. All types a conglomerate of reminiscences which can be associated to one another via soccer. The whole lot is linked in our heads. I bear in mind the 1994 World Cup and I bear in mind with nice affection that trio of commentators fashioned by José Ángel with Míchel and with the filmmaker José Luis Garci. With Míchel, later, he continued till 2005, eleven years through which they fashioned a powerful tv couple who, to the Madrid gamers, informed us and put voice to the seventh, the eighth or the novena, amongst different titles.

His private seal was unmistakable. With out shouting. A sluggish, serene and quiet narrative. I allow you to comply with the sport calmly, accompanying the actions of the gamers with out atosation to the viewer. Typically it solely wanted to quote the title of the participant who wore the ball. No extra was wanted. It was tv, not radio. These of us had been in entrance of the display screen we had been already seeing what was taking place, so it did not make a lot sense to clarify intimately one thing we contemplated with our personal eyes. I insist, tv has nothing to do with radio. Some crossed out of “bland” or “boring.” It all the time appeared to me the perfect. I used to be very sorry for his departure from the general public channel. I missed him on tv. I nonetheless miss him on this present tv through which he’s narrated as if it had been the radio, with screams, berridos and celebrations that I am unable to stand. Over the past 2024 Eurocup, it was fairly mentioned on social networks concerning the totally different fashions of present tv video games. Many defended the couple fashioned by Paco Grande and Carlos Marañón, with a really quiet and pleasant fashion, just like that practiced by José Ángel de la Casa.

Life tributes

Over the past years his state of well being had left him little or no. In 2014 he made public suffered by Parkinson, a illness to which he gave visibility and towards which he fought arduous. A illness that was consumed little by little and whose indicators turned very seen in current occasions. Thankfully, he obtained all recognitions and tributes in life. Paco Grande recovered it a number of occasions in his ‘classic connection’ of RTVE, being particularly emotional its presences within the particular for the fiftieth anniversary of the Stadium examine and within the fortieth anniversary of Spain-Malta, event for which a really particular tribute was paid in Seville. I’m glad that one of these recognition was made to such a particular particular person and that so many followers will bear in mind with particular affection.

Immediately, his voice has turned off ceaselessly. Very unhappy day. Within the networks all of us say goodbye to him and remind him of how he deserves. It is going to type, ceaselessly, a part of our lives. After we bear in mind a particular sport, for no matter purpose, your voice could come to thoughts within the midst of some play of ours with their traditional phrases. The right way to neglect that basic “insists Madrid” that he used a lot when he narrated the whites … from ‘Actual Madrid tales’ I need to categorical my deepest condolences to your entire household, associates and colleagues. These few l serveIn the best way of small tribute. Relaxation in peace, José Ángel de la Casa Tofiño.