Deep mourning in Spanish football: Jesús de Miguel, a striker for second-tier side CD Tenerife, has died at the age of 30 as a result of a violent collision.
Spanish football is in shock: Jesús de Miguel of second-tier side CD Tenerife has now died following a foul by the opposing goalkeeper, Jesús Owono, during Monday’s home match against FC Andorra.
“With deep sorrow, a lump in our throats and unable to believe that this is true,” the club announced the shocking news on Tuesday morning.
“Nothing can ease this immeasurable grief”
“There are no words of comfort; nothing can ease this immeasurable grief,” the club wrote in its statement. The Spaniard is reported to have died at 8 am at the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital. “We stand alongside his grieving family, his loved ones, and the whole of Tenerife, which today mourns this terrible loss.” The entire Spanish football world is in shock – amongst others, champions FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid have expressed their condolences.
On Monday, during the league match against FC Andorra, De Miguel collided with the opposing goalkeeper, Owono, just past the halfway line during a counter-attack in the seventh minute of stoppage time. According to Spanish media reports, he suffered a cardiac arrest in the ambulance on the way to hospital and was resuscitated by paramedics. Owono was shown a red card, and the match was immediately abandoned amid tears from his teammates.
Homicide squad to investigate the circumstances
Earlier that evening, Tenerife had reported that Miguel was in a “stable condition” despite suffering significant injuries to his head and chest, but his condition then “deteriorated” overnight. Tenerife asked for “the utmost respect” for the family’s privacy “at this difficult time”.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced that, “as a sign of respect and solidarity”, today’s matches in the first and third rounds of the Copa del Rey and the Copa de la Reina respectively would be cancelled. Meanwhile, the Spanish police have launched an investigation. A statement said that the Homicide Squad of the National Police in Santa Cruz de Tenerife would investigate the circumstances surrounding de Miguel’s death.