"He doesn't even know who he is": How is the Andorra goalkeeper coping after the fatal accident?
Oono collided violently with the late player
Jesús Owono is suffering a psychological breakdown after his tragic collision with Jesús de Miguel, who died at the age of just 30.
The Tenerife striker died last Tuesday morning after suffering an "accidental chest trauma". It followed an unintentional collision with Owono, the Andorra goalkeeper, as De Miguel rushed to clear a ball in the final minutes of Monday evening's match.
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Referees stopped the match after the incident, which plunged Spanish football into mourning. Owono, 25, was deeply affected, according to press reports.
Citing a source close to one of the goalkeeper's teammates, the website "The Athletic" reported: "Owono is broken, confined to his home and cut off from the world. At this moment, he does not even know who he is."
The Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE) have pledged to provide psychological support to Owono, organising specialist sessions to help him overcome the effects of the incident.
The goalkeeper's statement
Owono issued a statement through his club after De Miguel's death. "These are the hardest days of my life," he said. "I am struggling to find the words, and it is very difficult for me to take in anything of what has happened. I feel immense pain at the loss of Jesús. I am thinking of him, of his family, and of everyone who loved him."
He continued: "I know there are many things to deal with, and I will face what is to come with all respect. But at this moment, honestly, I cannot think of anything other than Jesús and the grief we are living through. Rest in peace, Jesús."
Referees had sent Owono off for the collision. He began to leave the pitch before returning to check on De Miguel, as the medical staff rushed to provide first aid to the striker.
Lautaro Spatz, Owono's teammate at Andorra, revealed the squad had been left "completely shattered" by the incident. "There are moments when football loses its meaning," he said in a statement. "Moments that leave a mark forever, and make you realise how fragile life is. What we went through is something none of us will ever forget. A tragedy that left us completely shattered, without words, and with a grief that is hard to explain."
