Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono "would never intentionally hurt anyone" and remains "deeply affected" following the death of Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel, his team-mate Lautaro Spatz confirmed on Wednesday. The 30-year-old Tenerife striker passed away after suffering a severe injury during a collision with Owono in a Spanish second-division fixture on Monday. The tragedy has reverberated throughout the sport, with a minute's silence scheduled across all European games this week to remember the forward.
The fatal sequence unfolded seven minutes into stoppage time with Tenerife and Andorra drawing 2-2 at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez. Owono rushed out toward the centre circle in an attempt to clear a long ball when his knee appeared to collide with De Miguel. Medical staff immediately treated the motionless striker on the pitch before an ambulance transported him to the hospital. Owono was red-carded, the fixture was abandoned, and the 25-year-old goalkeeper has since deactivated his Instagram account, which had surpassed 30,000 followers on Tuesday morning.
Andorra centre-back Spatz defended his team-mate on social media, explaining that Owono was left devastated by the outcome. Spatz wrote that those close to the keeper know "how much he is suffering at this moment and that he would never intentionally hurt anyone," adding that "in football, unfortunate incidents can happen but no-one could imagine that one of them might end with such tragic consequences." The Equatoguinean Football Federation confirmed that the 47-cap Equatorial Guinea international is navigating a "situation of profound sorrow and grief." In Spain, police have initiated a routine inquiry into potential involuntary manslaughter, a step required under national law for any death determined to be non-natural.
Tributes have poured in for De Miguel, a father-of-one who signed a three-year deal with Tenerife in summer 2025. Fans gathered at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez on Tuesday to leave candles and floral tributes under a black and white portrait of the striker. Tenerife has observed six official days of mourning and halted all club operations, with club officials, staff, and squad members set to attend the funeral in Navahermosa, Toledo. The stadium will also reopen on Saturday evening to permit supporters to "bid a fitting farewell," while De Miguel's family thanked the public for their messages and asked for their privacy to be respected.