Andorra defender Lautaro Spatz has offered his sincere condolences to the loved ones of Jesus de Miguel and defended his team-mate, goalkeeper Jesus Owono, following the striker's death after a collision during a Spanish second-division match.
Tenerife centre-forward De Miguel sustained severe head and chest injuries in a heavy collision with Owono, who was shown a red card for the challenge. Owono had raced out of his goal to clear the ball when the incident occurred in the closing stages of Monday's contest. De Miguel's condition was initially described as 'stable but serious' after he was carried from the field and taken to hospital, but it quickly deteriorated.
Death confirmed and matches postponed
A statement on Tenerife's social media pages on Tuesday morning confirmed that De Miguel had succumbed to his injuries. The Spanish FA postponed all Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina matches scheduled for Tuesday to allow time to 'grieve over this sad loss'. Tenerife's Segunda Division clash with Granada, due to kick off on Saturday, has been moved to a later date.
'Following the tragic news of the death of Jesus de Miguel, a player for CD Tenerife, the LaLiga Hypermotion match between Granada CF and Tenerife, scheduled for Saturday, November 7th at the Nuevo Los Carmenes stadium, has been postponed,' read a statement on Granada's official website. 'The new date for the match is pending confirmation.'
Investigation and support for Owono
Reuters reported that police in Spain had launched an investigation for possible involuntary manslaughter. Under Spanish law, any death deemed to be non-natural automatically triggers a judicial inquiry. However, criminal proceedings against Owono are 'very unlikely', according to Santa Cruz de Tenerife chief prosecutor Jose Luis Sanchez-Jauregui.
Owono has yet to make a public statement. Venancio Tomas Ndong Micha, president of the Equatorial Guinean Football Federation, said the 25-year-old was 'experiencing profound distress and anguish'. Spanish radio station COPE reported that some supporters inside the Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez stadium had yelled 'murderer' at Owono.
Spatz defends his team-mate
Spatz, who helped carry De Miguel off the pitch on a stretcher, took to Instagram to defend Owono, insisting his team-mate would 'never intentionally hurt anyone'. He wrote: 'Those of us who know him know what kind of person he is, how much he is suffering at this moment, and that he would never intentionally hurt anyone. In football, accidents happen, but nobody could ever imagine that one of them could lead to such tragic consequences.'
Andorra's official website also released a message expressing deep sadness and confirming the club had requested the postponement of its next match against RCD Mallorca. The club said it was providing psychological support to all those who needed it.
