Andorra goalkeeper 'deeply affected' by Jesus de Miguel’s death after on-pitch collision

A team-mate of Jesus Owono has defended the Andorra goalkeeper, insisting he would never set out to injure an opponent after the death of Jesus de Miguel.

De Miguel, a Tenerife forward, died on Tuesday morning after colliding with Owono during a Spanish second division fixture on Monday.

The 30-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest after the clash, which saw Owono race out from his goal and strike him at force. Owono was sent off for the challenge.

Spanish police have opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter, and grief has spread across football after the tragic incident.

That step is, though, standard practice under Spanish law, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife chief prosecutor Jose Luis Sanchez-Jauregui told Spanish news agency EFE that criminal proceedings were “very unlikely”.

Andorra’s Argentinian defender Lautaro Spatz posted a tribute to De Miguel on Instagram, while also defending Owono, who has deleted his account on the social media platform.

Spatz called De Miguel’s death “a tragedy that has left us completely broken, without words and with a sadness difficult to explain”.

The 25-year-old continued: “I also want to have some words for my team-mate, goalkeeper and friend, who is deeply affected by what happened.

“Those of us who know him know the type of person he is, how much he is suffering in these moments and that he would never intend to hurt anyone.

“In football, unfortunate incidents happen but no-one could imagine that one of these could end in such tragic circumstances.”

Tenerife have declared six days of official mourning, and fans gathered at the club’s Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez stadium to lay tributes to De Miguel.

A memorial service for the striker will be held at the ground on Saturday evening, with supporters invited to attend.

Tuesday’s domestic Spanish games were called off as a mark of respect, but Champions League fixtures went ahead, among them Barcelona’s meeting with Aston Villa at the Nou Camp.

Raphinha scored twice in a contest Barca won 3-0, which was preceded by a minute’s silence.

Speaking to CBS Sports afterwards, the Brazilian refused to talk about the game, saying: “I want to send a lot of strength to the family of Jesus. Today I’m not going to talk about football.

“For me, the truth is it was quite difficult (to play). After seeing the news, of course I didn’t have good feelings. He’s a fellow player and it could have happened to anyone, it could have happened to me.

“He was the same age as me, I don’t know if that’s why it affected me more. It’s been a difficult day. Personally, it touched me a lot.”

The incident occurred in stoppage time, and the Tenerife match was suspended afterwards, with distressed players calling for immediate medical attention.

A statement from Tenerife announcing De Miguel’s death read: “We stand alongside his devastated family, alongside his loved ones… that today weep for this cruel outcome.”

Andorra issued their own statement on Tuesday evening, in which the club said they were “deeply shocked”, adding: “The first thing we want to do is express our most sincere condolences to his family, CD Tenerife and all those who were close to him.

“We know that no words can ease such pain, but we want them to know that we are by their side and that we deeply share their sadness.”