Teenage Boy Tragically Killed by Falling Goalpost in Matanzas Sports Field

A 16-year-old boy lost his life this Tuesday after a metal goalpost fell on him while he was playing soccer at the Aurelio Janet Sports Field in Matanzas. The young man, affectionately called “Michelín” by his friends, was the only child in his family.

The tragic incident occurred in the morning hours on a field where local teenagers often gather for sports activities. Witnesses reported that the heavy metal structure of the goalpost, which had been unstable for some time, suddenly collapsed, striking the teenager directly on the head and resulting in his nearly instant death.

Although emergency services rushed him to the nearby Carlos Verdugos Polyclinic, he was already deceased upon arrival. The devastating news quickly spread throughout the community, leaving friends, neighbors, and family members in a state of shock.

“The neighborhood is heartbroken, La Cumbre mourns your loss,” wrote a close friend of the young man on social media.

Michelín was beloved by both his peers and the community, remembered as a joyful, polite, and athletic young man. “He was her only child, and his mother is inconsolable,” lamented a neighborhood mother whose family was also close to the victim.

Residents have noted that this wasn't the first time the goalpost had fallen, though it was the first incident to result in such a tragedy. “They need to thoroughly inspect that and the sports authorities in Matanzas must be held accountable,” stated a witness who spoke with several young people present at the scene.

Many have taken to social media demanding accountability for the lack of maintenance and safety at sports facilities like the Ateneo. “That place should be closed if it cannot provide safe conditions,” demanded a local resident, insisting that the field should not remain open as if nothing had occurred.

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