Tenerife coach on Oono's suspension: the penalty seems lenient
Álvaro Cervera, head coach of Spanish side Tenerife, expressed his understanding of the sanction imposed on goalkeeper Jesús Owono, the Andorra player, who was suspended for 12 matches over his violent challenge on Jesús de Miguel, his team's striker, during the clash between the two sides in the Spanish second division. However, he pointed out that the sanction might appear lenient given how the incident ended up.
Owono, 25, had been sent off after colliding with the striker De Miguel during the final minutes of the match between Andorra and Tenerife on 2 November, before the latter passed away the following day at the age of 30.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation's Disciplinary Committee handed the goalkeeper a 12-match ban yesterday, Friday, the maximum penalty available. The committee could only rule on the offence itself, with the tragic outcome falling outside its remit.
Cervera addressed the decision at the press conference before his side's clash with Ceuta on Sunday, Tenerife's first game since De Miguel's death, as reported by the "BBC": "I think that, just as is the case in various aspects of life, there are rules and laws that must be adhered to."
He added: "Since the current regulations do not contain a specific provision addressing what happened, I see that the Disciplinary Committee merely applied the rules and imposed the number of matches that the regulations allow. Anything else I might say would be just a personal opinion that I will keep to myself."
"The penalty may seem somewhat lenient compared to other cases, but in truth I do not believe the regulations allow a different penalty to be imposed," he continued.
The committee grounded its ruling in the facts of the referee's match report, which confirmed the goalkeeper's dismissal for "kicking an opponent with excessive force in the chest area, using his leg, while the ball was in play".
Turning to the days since De Miguel's death, the Tenerife coach spoke about the difficulties of returning to training and preparing for the next match, calling the experience "difficult and complicated".
Cervera, 61, said: "When we are together, things go well, whether during training or being within the group. I feel that the team has gradually begun to recover its usual atmosphere, but what we do not know is how each individual feels when he is alone, and this is an extremely important factor."
He explained: "Each person has their own way of dealing with what happened and with the thoughts occupying them. There are those who find support from their family members at home, while others face the matter alone. We are making progress, but the process is moving very slowly, as it is a difficult and complicated experience."
Uncertain how ready his players are to return to competition, Cervera noted that some might find in football a means to overcome grief and distract themselves from the tragedy, while others may not be psychologically ready to play right now.
He concluded: "Both positions are logical and understandable. On the one hand, we want to return to something of normal life, despite realising that things will not return to their true normality at the present time."
He added: "You cannot simply set aside what happened or push it out of our minds in order to focus on the work, for the matter is not like other situations we may go through in life. It is constantly present in our minds, and yet we have to keep moving forward."
