Overview
- Sporting de Gijón announced Díaz Novoa’s death on Sunday and described him as the coach who led the first team more times than anyone in the club’s history.
- He spent more than half his life at Sporting as player, multiple‑time manager and sporting director and helped establish the Mareo youth academy that shaped the club’s player development.
- Díaz Novoa is remembered in Vigo for the 1988–89 season when he steadied Celta de Vigo after the Alvelo accident and the murder of club official Quinocho, guiding the team to an eighth‑place finish.
- His wider managerial career included spells at Real Burgos, RCD Espanyol, Málaga and the Asturias selection, and he received the RFEF Coaches Committee’s 'Carnet de Oro' in September 2025.
- Regional clubs and media in Gijón and Vigo are publishing obituaries and tributes that highlight his long influence on local football and the personal support he offered players during crises.