FC Juárez forward Diego “El Puma” Chávez died in a car crash early Wednesday morning, the soccer club confirmed on Facebook.
The crash occurred on Antonio J. Bermúdez and Vicente Guerrero avenues, where Chávez was trapped inside his red Volkswagen Beetle car after losing control and crashing into a sign in the median. Excessive speed was suspected.
“With deep sadness we inform the entire JC Juárez community that our player Diego “El Puma” Chávez died early this morning on Feb. 14 in a car accident,” FC Juárez’s post began in Spanish. “During his time at FC Juárez, El Puma was characterized by his joy, enthusiasm, simplicity, and willingness, as well as his spirit of dedication and love for our colors.”
The 28-year-old made 15 appearances in two seasons with FC Juárez, scoring one goal. His Liga MX career began in 2015 and included a loan to Juárez in 2016-17. He had 30 goals in Liga MX.
Juárez was scheduled to host Puebla Saturday evening at the Estadio Benito Juárez. No word has been released on the status of that match. FC Juárez is set to play the El Paso Locomotive in a friendly on March 20 at Southwest University Park.