Jesús Owono has broken his silence after the on-pitch collision that led to the death of Jesús de Miguel. The 25-year-old goalkeeper’s statement, released on Wednesday through FC Andorra’s social media accounts, described “immense pain” at the loss of the Tenerife forward and acknowledged the “many issues to address” that lie ahead.
“These are the most difficult days of my life,” he wrote.
Owono said he was “struggling to find the words” and finding it hard to process what had happened. He asked people to think of de Miguel, his family and those who loved him, before adding that he would face “whatever comes with the utmost respect,” a reference to the parallel disciplinary and criminal proceedings now underway.
The 96th minute in Tenerife
The collision happened late on Monday, November 2, at Tenerife’s Heliodoro Rodríguez López. With the LaLiga 2 match tied at 2-2 deep into stoppage time, Owono raced out of his penalty area as de Miguel chased a long ball. The goalkeeper jumped, and his knee caught the 30-year-old striker in the chest near the halfway line, the Irish Times reported.
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De Miguel went down in the 96th minute. Referee Manuel Ángel Pérez Hernández showed Owono a straight red card. The forward was given CPR on the pitch and had his pulse restored in the ambulance, but his condition worsened neurologically and he was pronounced dead at 8am local time on Tuesday. The match was formally abandoned in the 108th minute.
Instagram deactivated amid abuse
Owono has been the target of heavy abuse online since the incident. He shut down his personal social media accounts after what reports described as a torrent of hostility. Al Jazeera reported that the messages aimed at the goalkeeper have included racist abuse, death threats and accusations of murder, with some users demanding a lifetime ban from football.
Homicide probe opens as sanctions loom
The National Police homicide group in Santa Cruz has opened a criminal investigation into de Miguel’s death. Any charges would fall under Article 142 of the Spanish Penal Code covering involuntary homicide. The most serious bracket, gross negligence, could carry up to four years in prison; the lesser form would carry fines only.
The sporting track runs separately. The Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary code sets a suspension of 4 to 12 matches for violent conduct causing serious injury, Al Jazeera noted in its summary of Owono’s position.
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Owono, born in Bata in Equatorial Guinea and a youth product of Real Sociedad, joined Andorra on a permanent transfer in August after a loan spell. He made his La Liga debut for Alavés in January 2022 and has 46 caps for the Equatorial Guinea national team.
He closed his statement in four words.
“Rest in peace, Jesús.”
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