FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono has been suspended for 12 matches by the Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee following the incident in which Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel later died.
Owono, 25, was sent off after colliding with De Miguel in the closing stages of the second-tier fixture between the clubs on 2 November. De Miguel died the next day, aged 30.
The disciplinary committee said its ruling had to be based “on the facts expressly recorded in the referee’s report”. The report stated that Owono had been dismissed for “violently striking an opponent in the chest with his leg, using excessive force, while the ball was in play”.
“The tragic outcome of the incident, resulting in the death of Jesus de Miguel Alameda, is public knowledge,” the committee said.
It added that the “nature of the conduct described and the accompanying circumstances” meant the maximum punishment of a 12-match suspension was justified.
The federation has also confirmed that the match will not be replayed. The game was abandoned seven minutes into stoppage time after the incident, with the score level at 2-2.
It said the decision avoided the need to restart the match “from the precise moment at which the tragic incident occurred”.
A federation committee described allowing the 2-2 scoreline to stand as the “most respectful course of action, given the extraordinary and tragic circumstances of this case”.
Owono’s club released a statement on his behalf on 4 November. In it, the goalkeeper said he was going through “the most difficult days” of his life and felt “enormous pain” following De Miguel’s death.
On Thursday, FC Andorra manager Carles Manso said Equatorial Guinea international Owono had not yet decided whether he would return to football.
Manso said Owono was currently with his family and was “completely free to make any decision” about his future.
“What we have to do is support him in every way and be close to him,” Manso said.
“We will give him space so that he feels completely free to make any decision, whether he wants to return, when, or if he does not want to return.
“When he feels it is appropriate and when he feels genuinely ready to take a decision like that, he will do so.”
