Crowd of 15,000 at mass for De Nigris in Mexico

Nov 22, 2009 - 9:27 PM MONTERREY, Mexico(AP) -- About 15,000 people attended a stadium mass Sunday in honor of soccer player Antonio De Nigris, whose ashes were taken on a lap of honor as fans applauded and chanted his name.

The Archbishop of Monterrey led prayers and hymns on an altar on the field at Tecnologico Stadium in memory of the 31-year-old player who died of a heart attack last week.

The midday service lasted more than an hour. De Nigris's family attended, along with players from the Rayados club where he began his career.

On Saturday, 35,000 fans waved white handkerchiefs and watched a short video dedicated to De Nigris before the Mexican playoff game between Rayados and America in the same stadium. De Nigris's younger brother Aldo scored the game's only goal in Rayados' 1-0 victory.

"I'm not just dedicating this goal to him, I'm going to dedicate my whole life to him because he was an example to us all," Aldo said.

Antonio De Nigris also played for America during a career that included stints in Brazil, Spain and Colombia. He was playing for Larissa in Greece at the time of his death.

De Nigris played 16 times for Mexico, scoring four goals.