Jesús Owono

Introduction

Jesús Owono, the 25-year-old FC Andorra and Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper, has been suspended for 12 matches — the maximum under the Royal Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary code — for the on-field challenge that left Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel dead . De Miguel, 30, suffered cardiac arrest after Owono struck him in the chest while both chased a high ball in stoppage time of a second-tier match on November 2, and died in hospital the next day . The federation’s disciplinary committee issued the suspension on Friday, judging Owono’s red-carded challenge violent conduct with excessive force, while a police investigation into the death remains open — though prosecutors have said criminal proceedings are unlikely .

Background Information

Owono is an Equatorial Guinea international who has been FC Andorra’s goalkeeper in Spain’s second division; at the time of the incident he was 25, and the match was a league fixture between FC Andorra and Tenerife on November 2, 2026 . De Miguel, a 30-year-old Spanish forward for Tenerife, was chasing an aerial ball in midfield near the end of the match when Owono, rushing far outside his penalty area to clear it, collided with him chest-on; De Miguel received medical treatment on the pitch, was taken to intensive care, and died on November 3 . The match, which was tied 2-2 and abandoned minutes into stoppage time after the incident, will not be replayed — the federation ruled the standing result is the “most respectful course of action, given the extraordinary and tragic circumstances of this case” .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Suspended for 12 matches — the disciplinary code’s maximum — for violent conduct causing an opponent’s death; investigated on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter; prosecutors have said criminal proceedings are unlikely. The account below comes from the Spanish federation’s disciplinary committee as reported by BBC Sport, AFP and CNA, from the referee’s match report as quoted by those outlets, and from the New York Post’s coverage. No criminal charge has been filed against Owono; the suspension is a sporting sanction, the investigation is unadjudicated, and nothing in the record establishes criminal culpability.

The disciplinary committee based its decision, it said, “on the facts expressly recorded in the referee’s report,” which stated Owono “was sent off for ‘violently striking an opponent in the chest with his leg, using excessive force, while the ball was in play’” . The committee found a serious infringement under Article 102 of the federation’s disciplinary code — violent conduct against an opponent during play that causes serious injury — imposed the maximum sanction of 12 matches, and applied the fines set out in Article 52, saying the leg-raised manner of the challenge and the forcefulness of an impact the referee “expressly described as excessive” made the case’s particular seriousness warrant the maximum level . “It is public knowledge that the tragic outcome of the events was the death of Jesus de Miguel Alameda,” the committee added .

The sanction sits alongside a criminal inquiry: Spanish police opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter after the death, an investigation AFP reported was opened under judicial supervision, though prosecutors have said criminal proceedings are unlikely because the collision occurred during play . The New York Post, covering the suspension, described it as punishment for a “reckless on-field collision” that “resulted in the death” of the Tenerife striker — characterizations that frame, but do not replace, the referee report and committee findings the sanction actually rests on . No party has contested the facts as recorded: the committee’s decision rests on the referee’s report, and Owono’s public response has been remorse rather than denial .

Public Reaction and Consequences

Owono’s response, issued through his club on November 4, was grief rather than self-defense: he said he was living through “the most difficult days” of his life and felt “enormous pain” about De Miguel’s death . The Equatorial Guinea Football Federation said he was experiencing “profound sorrow and grief,” and he withdrew from his country’s squad for its Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Zimbabwe this month following the death . FC Andorra manager Carles Manso said Thursday that Owono is spending time with his family, has yet to decide whether he will return to football at all, and is “completely free to make any decision” — “whether he wants to return, when, or if he does not want to return” — with the club’s role limited to supporting him “in every way” . The New York Post’s framing of the sanction as “massive” in its headline and tweet drew wide circulation; the reaction inside the sport, as reported, has treated the episode as a tragedy for both families rather than a villain story .

Current Status

As of the latest reporting on November 13, Owono stands suspended for 12 matches with the Article 52 fines attached, the abandoned 2-2 match has been allowed to stand as played, and the police investigation into the death remains open with prosecutors having said criminal proceedings are unlikely . No criminal charge has been filed, and the federation’s sanction is the only formal consequence on the record . Whether he plays again — for Andorra or Equatorial Guinea — remains his own undecided question, per his manager, who framed the timeline as Owono’s alone to set . This page tracks the criminal investigation’s outcome and any return-to-play decision as the case’s next events.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The episode has removed Owono from the field for the code’s longest ban, cost him his place in Equatorial Guinea’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying squad, and left his football future formally undecided while he grieves the opponent his challenge killed . The sanction record — a red card for violent conduct with excessive force, the maximum suspension, and fines — now defines his sporting file regardless of how the criminal inquiry ends, and his club has declined to press any return timeline on him . What remains unadjudicated is the criminal question: an investigation opened under judicial supervision, with prosecutors on record that charges are unlikely .

Sources

NY Post (AP), “Andorra goalie Jesus Owono hit with massive suspension after death of opponent,” November 13, 2026 — source
BBC Sport, “Jesus Owono: Goalkeeper gets 12-game suspension for tackle which resulted in death of Jesus de Miguel,” November 13, 2026 — source
AFP, “Goalkeeper Owono suspended for 12 matches after De Miguel death,” November 13, 2026 — source
CNA, “Owono handed 12-match ban after De Miguel death,” November 13, 2026 — source
@nypost on X, “Andorra goalie hit with massive suspension after brutal collision led to death of opponent” (trigger tweet), November 13, 2026 — source