“These are the hardest days of my life,” FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono said Wednesday after the death of CD Tenerife player Jesus de Miguel. The tragedy followed a collision involving the Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper during a Spanish second-division match on Monday.
Through his club, Owono expressed support for the family of the Madrid-born player, who died in a hospital after suffering serious injuries.
“I am struggling to find words, and it is very hard for me to come to terms with what happened. I feel enormous pain over the loss of Jesus. I am thinking of him, his family and everyone who loved him,” the Andorran club’s statement said.
“I know there will be many problems to resolve, and I will approach every situation with the greatest respect. But honestly, right now I can’t think of anything other than Jesus and the pain we are all feeling. Rest in peace,” the goalkeeper added.
His FC Andorra teammate Lautaro Spatz came to Owono’s defense, saying Owono “would never hurt anyone on purpose” and is “deeply shaken” by de Miguel’s death.
Spatz wrote on social media that Owono is devastated. He added that he paid tribute to de Miguel, then said of Owono: “Those of us who know him know what kind of person he is, how much he is suffering right now, and that he would never hurt anyone intentionally.”
“Unfortunate accidents happen in soccer, but nobody imagines that one of them could end so tragically,” he said.
FC Andorra players observed a minute of silence for de Miguel on Wednesday during a voluntary training session. Owono was not present.
The goalkeeper, who had more than 30,000 followers on Instagram on Tuesday morning, has since deactivated his account. Owono has made 47 appearances for the Equatorial Guinea national team.
Police in Spain have opened a routine investigation into the possible involuntary manslaughter of de Miguel. (PAP)
