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Goalkeeper Jesús Owono Banned 12 Matches for Collision That Killed Tenerife Striker Jesús de Miguel
By Megan McCarthy
Photo: La Prensa Gráfica / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono has been suspended for 12 matches following a collision that led to the death of Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel, 30, the Spanish soccer federation’s disciplinary committee ruled Friday, Nov. 13, according to Associated Press reporting carried by ESPN. The committee said Owono used “excessive force” in the incident, which occurred during a match on Nov. 2. BBC Sport and The Guardian also reported the ruling.
De Miguel died on Nov. 3, one day after the collision. According to the Associated Press, he was chasing a high ball in midfield near the end of the match in Tenerife when Owono, who had rushed far outside his goal area, struck him in the chest. De Miguel suffered cardiac arrest following the collision and died the next day.
Owono received a red card for the incident. The RFEF disciplinary committee imposed the 12-match suspension on Friday, finding that the goalkeeper had used excessive force. The Associated Press reported the committee’s decision; BBC Sport and The Guardian carried the same ruling.
The incident is also the subject of a police investigation. Spanish police have opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter, according to the Associated Press. Under Spanish law, deaths from non-natural causes, including accidents, are subject to judicial investigation. Prosecutors have said criminal proceedings are unlikely.
The investigation and the federation’s disciplinary decision are separate processes. The 12-match ban is the sporting sanction reported by the federation; the police inquiry concerns the circumstances of de Miguel’s death. The reporting does not identify any criminal charge against Owono.
Owono issued a statement through his club offering condolences to de Miguel’s family, the Associated Press reported. The statement’s full text was not published in the reporting, and the club was not named.
Andorra coach Carles Manso addressed Owono’s situation on Thursday, saying the decision about a return to play should be left to the goalkeeper. “He is deeply affected by the situation. We will give him the space to feel completely free to decide whether, and when, he might want to return,” Manso said, according to the Associated Press.
Several details remain unreported. The reporting does not say whether Owono will appeal the 12-match suspension, and it provides no information about any fine or additional sanction. It also does not identify the club through which Owono issued his condolences or state which competition the Nov. 2 match belonged to. No statements from Tenerife or de Miguel’s family have been reported.
The federation’s ruling establishes the sporting punishment, while the police investigation remains open. Prosecutors’ position, as reported by the Associated Press, is that criminal proceedings are unlikely.
Megan McCarthy
Sports Desk, The Library Media
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