Boca Juniors head coach Miguel Ángel Russo’s funeral is being held at the club’s historic La Bombonera stadium. The coach passed away on Wednesday night at 69, after a long fight against cancer.

The club announced the funeral was going to be held at the stadium, a nod to Russo’s historic ties with the club and a showing of respect for him. The public wake began at the club’s Brandsen 805 address in Buenos Aires City at 10 a.m. and will go on until 10 p.m. Thursday. A second day of mourning will start on Friday, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Russo’s passing marked a dark day in Argentine football. A universally loved and respected figure, former players, rivals, and international footballers took a moment to remember him. The Argentine Football Association announced a minute of silence to be held across all games in every division and age group until Sunday.

Boca’s Thursday training session and an ongoing youth matchup were suspended after news broke. The players later traveled together to La Bombonera to pay their respects. 

Estudiantes de La Plata, the only club he represented as a player, started its practice with a moment of silence, as did Boca’s traditional rivals River Plate and other clubs in Argentina. Nearly every club in Argentina’s top tier posted a farewell message, as did international footballing giants such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and FC Barcelona.

Several former players also took a moment to send a farewell, including World Cup winners Ángel Di María and Leandro Paredes. Former stars Martín Palermo, Carlos Tevez, Juan Sebastián Verón, and Sebastián Battaglia also paid their respects.

“I deeply regret the passing of [Boca] coach Miguel Angel Russo, a football man who gave his all to the sport he loved so much,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino wrote on Instagram. “Beyond all his titles, we are left with his impressive strength and fighting spirit. We send our condolences to all his loved ones. May he rest in peace!”

Russo entered home care on Monday night after his condition worsened following a cancer relapse. He had first been diagnosed in 2017. At the time, Boca confirmed he was “receiving constant attention” from both his own medical team and the club’s staff. The coach had been in and out of medical leave since he was first hospitalized with a urinary tract infection in September.

Russo had over 35 years of experience in football coaching, having been at the helm of some of Argentina and South America’s biggest clubs. In his career, he picked up three second division titles with Lanús, Estudiantes, and Rosario Central; four top-tier titles with Vélez Sarsfield, Boca Juniors, and Rosario Central; and the 2007 Copa Libertadores title with Boca.

A man who dedicated his life to football, his catchphrase son decisiones (they’re decisions you make) became a staple of his approach to coaching and life.

“I’m just a guy who tries to be as simple, sensible, and reasonable as possible,” he said in one of the last interviews he gave. “I’m thankful to this round thing that goes around in every moment of my life. I don’t live if it’s not through that ball.”