Nov 13 (Reuters) – Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper Jesus Owono has been handed a 12-match suspension by the Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary committee following the challenge that led to the death of Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel.
Owono and De Miguel collided during a Spanish second-tier match between FC Andorra and Tenerife on November 2. De Miguel was taken to intensive care and died the following day.
The committee said Owono had committed a serious infringement under Article 102 of the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary code, for violent conduct against an opponent during play that causes serious injury.
It imposed the maximum sanction, along with the associated fines set out in Article 52 of the code.
“The referee’s own description makes it possible to appreciate the particular seriousness of the action, both because of the way it was carried out, with the leg raised, and because of the forcefulness of the impact, which the referee expressly described as excessive,” the committee said.
“It is public knowledge that the tragic outcome of the events was the death of Jesus de Miguel Alameda,” it added, saying that the particular seriousness of the case justified “the imposition of the sanction at its maximum level”.
Owono, 25, withdrew from Equatorial Guinea’s squad for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Zimbabwe this month following De Miguel’s death.
FC Andorra manager Carles Manso said on Thursday that Owono had yet to decide whether he would return to competition, adding the club would give the goalkeeper time and space to make that decision.
Owono said last week that he was living through “the most difficult days of my life”, while the Equatorial Guinea Football Federation said he was experiencing profound sorrow and grief.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
