Grand Slam * Stats & News
Updated: June 7, 2013
Scores & Statistics
Baseball Scores & Stats
Softball Women Scores & Stats
Softball Men Scores & Stats
Copyright © 1997-2013
Grand Slam/Marco Stoovelaar

Baseball
Headlines
Compiled and Copyright © 1997-2013 by Marco Stoovelaar


European baseball-world shocked by loss of Xavier Mateu
Nederlands

IN MEMORIAM


...Xavier Mateu...

BARCELONA (Spain) - The European baseball-world was shocked today by the sad news that Xavier Mateu Sendra had passed away on Thursday-morning, June 6 after suffering a heart attack. Xavier Mateu was only 50 years old. The funeral ceremony will be held on Saturday, June 8 at 10 AM in Barcelona.

Xavier Mateu was wellknown in the European baseball-community. He was the Technical Director Baseball for the Real Federación Española de Béisbol y Sófbol, but served for several years in the Technical Commission of the European Baseball Confederation (CEB). In that role, Xavier Mateu participated in numerous events for European Championships, as well as European Cup-tournaments. Last year, Mateu was a Technical Commissioner during the European Cup Tournament in Rotterdam (Netherlands), as well as the European Championships, which were held in The Netherlands and the European Champions Cup Final Four in Nettuno (Italy). In previous years, he served in the same capacity during numerous tournaments, including the European Championship in 2010 in Stuttgart (Germany) and 2007 in Barcelona (Spain), as well as all European Cup Final Four Tournaments since its inception in 2008.

In February of this year, during the CEB-Congress in Bled (Slovenia), Xavier Mateu was elected Secretary-General of the new CEB-Board. During the same election, Dutchman Jan Esselman was elected as new President of the European body.

CEB-President Jan Esselman is in Barcelona to attend the funeral of Mateu on Saturday. Esselman already was in the Barcelona-area, as coming Sunday, he planned to be at the final of the Europan Cup Tournament, which is currently underway in the Spanish city. ,,This is a big loss'', Esselman reacted. ,,I spoke to Xavier on Wednesday. We had an appointment for Saturday, then would be at the final together on Sunday.'' Esselman expressed his condolences to the wife and daughter of Xavier Mateu in name of European baseball.

In the remainder of the tournament in Barcelona, flags will be set at halfmast in honor of Mateu, but also in Regenburg (Germany), where the other European Cup Tournament takes place. The tournaments will be dedicated to Xavier Mateu's memory.

Xavier Mateu was devoted to the development of baseball both in Spain and Europe and he spent his entire life working for these causes. As an Official Scorer and Journalist, the webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News has worked several tournaments together with Xavier, who always had a smile on his face. Xavier was very sympathetic and was very dedicated to baseball. He will be missed by his many friends throughout the European baseball-community.

The webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News offers his condolences to Xavier's family and wishes them a lot of strength with this big loss.

(June 7)


Thank you for visiting this site.
Mail your suggestions and questions to stoov@wxs.nl
Copyright © 1997-2013 Marco Stoovelaar / Grand Slam * Stats & News.