Lautaro Spatz says Jesús Owono ‘deeply affected’ after collision that preceded Jesús de Miguel’s death

FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono was described as “deeply affected” by team-mate Lautaro Spatz after a collision with Tenerife player Jesús de Miguel on Monday that preceded De Miguel’s death the following day, Spatz wrote on social media. Owono deactivated his Instagram account on Tuesday after receiving online abuse, with some users commenting “murderer” on his posts.

Spatz posted a defence of his team-mate, adding: “I also ‌want to say a few words about my teammate, goalkeeper ‌and friend, who is deeply affected by what has happened. Those of us who know him know the kind of person he is, how much he is suffering at this moment, and that he ‌would never intentionally hurt anyone.” Andorra said the club was offering psychological support to anyone at the club who needed it after De Miguel’s death.

Owono was sent off for the challenge; he had raced from his goal and struck the 30-year-old De Miguel with force, and the Tenerife player subsequently suffered a cardiac arrest. The collision occurred during the match on Monday and De Miguel died the next day.

The Equatoguinean Football Federation expressed support for Owono, saying the 25-year-old was going through “a situation of profound sorrow and grief.” Owono has made 47 appearances for Equatorial Guinea. The Can Vidalet goalkeeper Michel Owono said on social media that he was receiving racist abuse, with people confusing him with the Andorra player.

Spanish national police opened a routine investigation into De Miguel’s death, although the Santa Cruz de Tenerife chief prosecutor, José Luis Sénchez-Jáuregui, told the Spanish news agency EFE that criminal proceedings were “very unlikely.” Domestic Spanish games were called off but Champions League matches went ahead; a minute’s silence was held before Barcelona beat Aston Villa 3-0, with Raphinha scoring twice.

Barcelona forward Raphinha told CBS Sports he found it difficult to play against Aston Villa on Tuesday after the news of De Miguel’s death, saying: “I want to send a lot of strength to the family of Jesús. Today I’m not going to talk about football. For me, the truth is it was quite difficult [to play]. After seeing the news, of course I didn’t have good feelings. He’s a fellow player and it could have happened to anyone, it could have happened to me. He was the same age as me, I don’t know if that’s why it affected me more. It’s been a difficult day. Personally, it touched me a lot.”

Spatz also sent condolences to De Miguel’s family and to Tenerife; Spanish authorities continue a routine inquiry while clubs and federations have announced support measures for those affected.