Spanish police are investigating the death of Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel after he collided with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a second-division match.
De Miguel died on Tuesday, November 3, aged 30, after suffering a cardiac arrest during the 2-2 draw in Santa Cruz de Tenerife the previous evening. The homicide unit of the National Police in Santa Cruz de Tenerife opened the inquiry, which police sources told Spanish news agency EFE is being conducted under judicial supervision.
The investigation does not mean Owono is suspected of a crime. The Equatorial Guinea international has not been arrested or formally accused of any offence.
The Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands said a judicial investigation automatically follows any death that does not have a natural cause.
The incident occurred deep into stoppage time as De Miguel chased a long ball. Owono came out of his area to challenge and struck the striker in the chest with his knee.
De Miguel was revived on the pitch before being taken to the intensive care unit at Nuestra Senora de Candelaria University Hospital. His condition deteriorated overnight after neurological complications, and Tenerife announced his death at 8am on Tuesday.
Referee Manuel Angel Perez Hernandez said in his match report that he sent Owono off in the 90th minute for striking an opponent with his leg raised and using excessive force while the ball was being contested.
The match was stopped in the 96th minute while De Miguel received treatment. It was then abandoned by agreement after both teams said they were unable to continue.
Jose Luis Sanchez-Jauregui, the chief prosecutor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, told Europa Press that a criminal prosecution would be very difficult because the collision took place during play.
He said established Spanish case law generally does not prosecute injuries caused during normal play unless there is a deliberate assault outside the normal course of the game. Investigators would also consider the referee’s report and the disciplinary decision, including whether the challenge was dangerous or intended to cause harm.
Article 142 of Spain’s Criminal Code provides for a prison sentence of between one and four years for causing death through serious negligence, with a fine applying in cases of less serious negligence. That provision is the basis for reports suggesting Owono could face four years in prison.
Spanish legal analysts have stressed that a red card is a sporting punishment and does not establish criminal responsibility. A death on the pitch, they added, does not by itself prove that a crime has been committed.
The Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary bodies have not yet ruled on the dismissal. Article 102 of its disciplinary code covers violent conduct during play that causes serious injury and carries a ban of four to 12 matches. A lesser dangerous-play offence could result in a suspension of one to three matches, according to Spanish media.
Owono, 25, has not commented publicly. COPE reported that he was deeply affected and wanted to apologise privately to De Miguel’s family. Sport reported that he had deactivated his social media accounts.
FC Andorra said there had been no intention to cause harm and sent condolences to De Miguel’s family, team-mates and Tenerife.
Owono gained attention at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, where he saved two penalties in Equatorial Guinea’s shoot-out victory over Mali as they reached the quarter-finals.
Tenerife president Felipe Minambres said the club faced a week of mourning and that players, relatives and staff would need psychological support. The Spanish federation postponed two Copa del Rey matches and a women’s cup fixture after De Miguel’s death.
