Tenerife boss says Owono's 12-match ban 'might feel light'

Tenerife manager Alvaro Cervera said on Sunday, before his club's fixture against Ceuta, that FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono's 12-match ban "might feel light" after Owono was sent off during the Spanish second-tier match between the sides on 2 November. A disciplinary committee from the Spanish football federation confirmed the suspension on Friday.

Alvaro Cervera, who has been Tenerife manager since 2024, made the remarks in the build-up to the Ceuta game. FC Andorra's Owono, 25, was sent off after colliding with Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel during the closing stages of the Spanish second-tier match on 2 November; De Miguel died the following day aged 30. The disciplinary committee said it had imposed the maximum punishment available. It added that it could only consider the on-pitch offence and not "the tragic outcome of the incident".

The committee said it had to base its decision "on the facts expressly recorded in the referee's report", which stated the player "was sent off for 'violently striking an opponent in the chest with his leg, using excessive force, while the ball was in play'". That reliance on the referee's account determined the scope of what the disciplinary body could review. The panel therefore applied the sanctions permitted under those recorded facts.

Cervera addressed the constraints of the regulations directly, saying: "I think that, just as in other areas of life, there are rules or laws that must be followed," and adding: "Since the current regulations don't specifically account for what happened, I believe they have simply adhered to the rules and imposed the number of matches permitted by the regulations." He also said he would refrain from offering further personal comment beyond the regulatory framework.

He continued: "Anything else I might say would just be my own personal opinion, which I'll keep to myself. It might seem a bit light when compared to other cases, but in reality, I don't think the rules allow for anything else." Cervera, 61, described preparing for the next match and returning to training as "tough" and "complicated" and said the collective process was slow.

"When we're together, we're fine, during our sessions, we're doing well," he said. "It feels like the group is gradually getting back to normal. What we don't know is how everyone is doing when we're apart and that's a significant factor. "Everyone has their own way of coping and their own thoughts; some have people at home to support them, while others are more on their own. "We're making progress, a very slow process, but we are moving forward - it's tough, it's complicated." He said he was unsure whether players were ready to return to playing, noting that some would welcome a distraction while others might not be in the right frame of mind yet.

"Both positions are reasonable," Cervera added. "On one hand, you want to return to some sense of normality though you know that true normality isn't something you'll find right now. "This isn't something you can just set aside or push to the back of your mind to focus on your own work; it's not like other life events you might encounter. It's always there, constantly on your mind, yet we have to keep going."

Sunday's fixture against Ceuta was Tenerife's first match since De Miguel's death, and Cervera spoke to media in the build-up to that game.