Jesus Owono has been handed a 12-match suspension after the challenge that led to Jesus de Miguel's death in the Spanish second-tier match between FC Andorra and Tenerife. It is the maximum punishment available and underlines the seriousness with which the Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee has treated the incident.
Owono was sent off on November 2 after racing into midfield and colliding with Jesus de Miguel while trying to clear an aerial ball. Jesus de Miguel was placed in intensive care after the collision and died the following day, November 3. The ruling, announced on Friday, follows a tragic sequence that has already prompted an investigation under judicial supervision.
The disciplinary committee: maximum sanction
The Spanish football federation’s disciplinary committee cited the referee’s report in justifying the maximum sanction. For Owono, the football consequence is severe enough on its own, but it sits within a far more painful context: a collision that ended in a death and has left both clubs and supporters dealing with shock and grief.
Last week, Spanish police sources told AFP news agency that an investigation into what happened had been opened under judicial supervision. Owono also said last week that he was enduring the hardest days of his life after Jesus de Miguel's death, adding that he felt immense pain for de Miguel and his family.
Owono steps away from football for now
The goalkeeper has also withdrawn from Equatorial Guinea’s squad for Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Zimbabwe this month. That decision fits the wider picture around the case: this is not simply a disciplinary matter, but a human tragedy that has placed football firmly in the background.
On Thursday, Carles Manso said Owono would decide if and when he returns to football after the tragic incident. That feels appropriate at a time when the immediate focus remains on the memory of Jesus de Miguel, whose funeral took place last Thursday with about 400 mourners in attendance, followed by a memorial and farewell at Tenerife’s stadium on Saturday.
For FC Andorra, Tenerife and everyone connected to the match, the suspension is only one part of a much larger and more difficult story. The footballing decision has been made, but the impact of the incident will last far beyond a 12-match ban.
