Spatz defends Owono after De Miguel’s death
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Andorra defender Lautaro Spatz defended goalkeeper Jesús Owono after Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel died following a collision in a Spanish second-division match. He said his team-mate, sent off after the clash, would never have wanted to hurt anyone and remained deeply affected, Punch reports.
Andorra defender Lautaro Spatz defended his team-mate Jesús Owono on Wednesday after Spanish striker Jesús de Miguel died during a second-division match between Tenerife and Andorra. He said the Equatorial Guinean goalkeeper, who was deeply affected by the collision, would never have wanted to hurt anyone, according to comments reported by Punch.
The collision occurred on Monday in stoppage time, when Owono came out to clear a long ball. De Miguel lay motionless on the pitch before being taken to hospital, while Owono was sent off and the match, which was then level at 2-2, was suspended. The Equatorial Guinea Football Federation also expressed its support for the goalkeeper, who has 47 caps for his country.
Spanish police have opened a routine investigation into suspected involuntary manslaughter, a procedure automatically initiated when a death is considered unnatural. Minutes of silence are planned at European matches this week, while Tenerife announced six days of mourning after the death of its striker. These developments add to the Spanish police investigation after Jesús de Miguel’s death, opened on 3 November.
