Owono ‘would never intentionally hurt anyone’, team-mate says after De Miguel’s death

FC Andorra team-mate Lautaro Spatz says goalkeeper Jesús Owono would “never intentionally hurt anyone” after Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel died following a collision during a match. The comments came as Spanish police opened an investigation into De Miguel’s death, a step that does not itself establish wrongdoing.

Spatz said Owono was “deeply affected” by what had happened. “Those of us who know him know the kind of person he is, how much he is suffering at this moment and that he would never intentionally hurt anyone,” he wrote on social media.

De Miguel, 30, died in hospital on Tuesday, a day after the collision in a Spanish second-division match. With the game between Tenerife and Andorra level at 2-2, Owono ran towards the centre circle to clear a long ball; his knee appeared to collide with De Miguel. The striker received treatment on the pitch and was taken to hospital. Owono was sent off and the match abandoned.

Police have opened an investigation, and the case is under judicial supervision. The Canary Islands High Court said a judicial inquiry is opened as a matter of course when a death is considered non-natural, including in cases of accidents.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife’s chief prosecutor, José Luis Sánchez-Jáuregui, said it was difficult to predict whether criminal proceedings would follow. He said the next steps would depend on the referee’s report and the findings of the sports disciplinary committee, including whether it considered the play dangerous and whether Owono intended to cause harm.

Tenerife and Andorra’s scheduled league matches this weekend have been postponed. The clubs have announced periods of mourning, while Tenerife plans to open its stadium to supporters paying their respects to De Miguel.

The death followed a collision during Tenerife’s match against Andorra, which prompted tributes across European football.