The well-known sports journalist Javier Mérida died this Sunday in Seville at the age of 58 after a long illness. His extensive experience in sports information in the Andalusian capital has made him well recognized both by the profession and by the main clubs in the city, especially Real Betis Balompié and Sevilla Fútbol Club. For this reason, the sadness upon learning of his death has been profound in the Seville and Andalusian journalistic community.
A professional with a long career who began his journalistic career in the sports editorial office of El Correo de Andalucía has left. At the end of the last century he took over the correspondent of the newspaper Mundo Deportivo in Seville, until the launch of Diario de Sevilla in 1999. A member of the first sports editorial team of this Seville newspaper, he was named head of area, until he was forced to leave the profession in 2016 when he was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).
Passionate about football, he came to practice the sport of football and was a faithful follower of Betis. As Hobbiecarried out work of scouting and discovered players with a long career. He was also passionate about gastronomy and made his first steps in the kitchen. Another of his passions was the Cádiz Carnival. Married to Toñi, his lifelong partner, he was the father of Alejandro, who continues the sports journalism saga in Seville, currently at El Correo de Andalucía.
In 2022, Mérida was honored by Sevilla FC in the 13th edition of the José Antonio Blázquez Journalism Awards in the special category, an award in recognition of the background of the Sevillian informant that was collected, in his name, precisely by his son Alejandro. «I can’t think of a more sincere way to start than saying thank you to Sevilla FC from the heart. It is an honor and I feel proud to receive an award in the name of José Antonio Blázquez. “I know that if it were not for my state of health I would not receive it, because my profession in recent years has not focused on narrating the vicissitudes of Sevilla FC, but that was not an obstacle to accepting the award since my son told me about it,” he expressed. Mérida receiving this award in a text read by her son. «Thank you, Sevilla, for everything you have given me and for honoring this blessed profession. This tribute to a Betic man is, furthermore, another example of lordship, greatness and Seville,” he added in that emotional speech.
