Tenerife had been waiting for a moment like this. Nacho Gil struck in the 40th minute at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López, held up Jesús de Miguel’s shirt and revealed a message under his own that read: “Demi, always in our hearts.”
The 2-0 win over Ceuta on Sunday was Tenerife’s first league match since the 30-year-old forward died on 3 November, a day after colliding with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono in a Segunda División game. Neal Viereck added the second four minutes from time to end a six-game winless run that leaves the club 14th in the table.
A minute’s silence and a tribute in the ninth
Lengthy standing ovations preceded and followed a minute’s silence before kick-off. In the ninth minute, matching the number De Miguel wore, play was stopped for a round of applause while a video of the striker was shown on the stadium screens, as happened across Spain’s top two divisions last weekend. Tenerife supporters unfurled a banner reading “Jesús de Miguel, 9, eternally blue and white”.
Enric Gallego carried a wreath of flowers onto the pitch before the match.
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The collision and the ban
De Miguel died on 3 November, a day after colliding with Owono during Tenerife’s home game against FC Andorra on 2 November. The match was abandoned seven minutes into stoppage time after the incident and the Spanish football federation has ruled the 2-2 scoreline will stand, with no replay.
The federation handed Owono a 12-match suspension, the maximum available to its disciplinary committee, for the challenge that resulted in De Miguel’s death. Tenerife’s game against Granada on 7 November was postponed, and the club opened the stadium for fans to pay their respects.
Owono’s request, Tenerife’s wait
Owono has yet to return to training. The goalkeeper has asked FC Andorra to help him make contact with De Miguel’s family, according to beIN Sports, whether by letter, phone call or a visit to Toledo to meet them in person. Tenerife have asked for more time, saying the family needs space before any approach is made.
FC Andorra head coach Carles Manso has told beIN Sports it is too early to draw conclusions about the goalkeeper’s sporting future, and that the club will not pressure him over a return. Owono is receiving psychological and medical support and remains in regular contact with teammates; club president Gerard Piqué has also kept in close touch.
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