Jesus Owono: Goalkeeper Whose Tackle Caused Spanish Footballer’s Death Takes Drastic Action
- Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono shut down his Instagram account after receiving online abuse following a collision with Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel
- De Miguel, aged 30, suffered a cardiac arrest during Monday's match and died in hospital on Tuesday morning
- Spanish police opened an investigation as LaLiga president Javier Tebas called for tributes and possible postponement of Tenerife's next game
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Jesús Owono, the FC Andorra goalkeeper at the centre of the incident that led to the death of Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel, has deactivated his Instagram account following a flood of online abuse directed at him since Monday's match.
De Miguel died on Tuesday at 8:00 a.m., one day after collapsing on the pitch during a Segunda División fixture at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium in Tenerife.
Source: Getty Images
The match was abandoned seven minutes into stoppage time.
What happened during the match
Owono had rushed out of his penalty area to clear a long ball when he collided with De Miguel, Sky Sports reports.
The referee sent Owono off immediately as medical personnel attended to the stricken striker on the pitch for over five minutes before an ambulance took him to hospital.
Late on Monday, Tenerife released a statement confirming De Miguel had been hospitalised and was described as "stable despite the severity of his condition."
A further update in the early hours of Tuesday said his condition had deteriorated neurologically.
The club later confirmed his death.
Owomo faces online abuse and police investigation
According to One Football, Owono had already been subjected to shouts and insults as he left the pitch after the abandonment.
The abuse then spread across social media.
While his X account had already been inactive for two years, his Instagram profile bore the brunt of the hostility, prompting him to close it entirely.
On Tuesday, Spanish police said they had opened an investigation into the death of De Miguel.
Judicial authorities in the Canary Islands clarified that this was a standard procedure under Spanish law, since any death classified as non-natural automatically triggers a judicial inquiry.
La Liga and UEFA respond
LaLiga president Javier Tebas spoke to Television Canaria, describing his profound shock at the news.
He pledged to make the league's resources available to Tenerife and De Miguel's family, and said he would hold talks with the club about potentially postponing their next fixture, given the emotional weight of returning to competition so soon.
Tebas also raised the idea of organising a tribute involving clubs from both divisions of professional football, while stressing that any specific measures should follow a period of reflection.
He emphasised that support for the family and the club must not be limited to the immediate aftermath but should extend across the coming weeks.
UEFA also weighed in, announcing that all matches scheduled for the week would be preceded by a minute of silence in honour of De Miguel.
What Owono wanted to do before tragedy
Legit.ng previously reported about Owono’s decision to contact Jesús de Miguel’s family privately before speaking publicly about the fatal collision.
De Miguel died after suffering a cardiorespiratory arrest during a match, prompting tributes from Real Madrid stars including Kylian Mbappé and Thibaut Courtois.
Source: Legit.ng
