Cliftonville’s chaplain has acknowledged the “shock, disbelief and sadness” following the sudden death of footballer Michael Newberry in an emotional New Year message.
Reverend Dario Leal said it has been “a difficult week for all involved in Irish League football” as he offered support to anyone facing personal struggles.
“Sometimes life throws you a fireball and you do not know how to handle or stop it,” he wrote online.
“What is certain is that whatever we do, we know we are going to get burned and it will leave a mark.
“This is what happened to the Cliftonville family with Michael Newberry’s sudden and untimely loss earlier this week.
“The shock, the disbelief and the sadness of this news has shaken us, and now we are grieving a beautiful life that left us too early.”
The local football fraternity was plunged into grief when the ex-Linfield ace passed away on Monday which was his 27th birthday.
A minute’s silence was held ahead of matches that evening as a mark of respect with further tributes planned ahead of Cliftonville’s Irish Cup tie with Banbridge Rangers at Solitude on Saturday.
“Michael only came to Solitude [last] summer,” Rev Leal continued.
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“For a few years, he was our rival playing against us, yet it felt as if he was one of the senior players.
“He won the hearts of his team-mates and supporters in a short time.
“This is why it is difficult to even write these words.
“Like you, I would have loved to see him achieving his dreams and aspirations wearing the Cliftonville Red. He was brave on the pitch and a gentle and ever-so-friendly young man.
“Today, we grieve. Today, we pause and centre on what matters, and that is to celebrate the gift of life. Like many who knew him, I was looking forward to telling him ‘Happy Birthday, Michael’ and shaking his hand on Monday, and now I grieve that this is no longer possible.”
The defender, originally from Newcastle in England, joined his hometown club’s academy at the age of 11 and was awarded its ‘Wor Jackie trophy’ back in 2016 – an accolade presented annually to Newcastle’s top young talent.
He went on to represent Northern Ireland’s Under-21 squad and signed for Icelandic side Vikingur Olafsvik in 2018 and, following a three-year stint at Linfield, joined Cliftonville last July.
Rev Leal urged everyone to rejoice in the gift of life “even if sometimes it throws us a fireball that hurts” and said now is the time to unite in grief, embrace one another and to celebrate Michael’s legacy.
“However, as we look into this New Year, let us come together as a family to hold each other up, to celebrate life in all its fullness, and to look at the future with hope,” he added.
“The ancient poetry of the Old Testament, in the book of Ecclesiastes, tells us that ‘there is a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to heal, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, a time to dance and a time to embrace’.
“Michael, you will live in our hearts.”