The Spanish football federation has suspended FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono for 12 matches after his challenge killed Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel during a second-tier match on 2 November.
Owono, 25, was sent off with a direct red card in the 96th minute of the LaLiga Hypermotion match at Tenerife's Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium. The collision with De Miguel, 30, occurred while both challenged for the ball. De Miguel was treated on the pitch and taken off on a stretcher before being rushed to the Hospital Universitario de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, where he died the following day. The match was abandoned at 2-2.
The RFEF disciplinary committee imposed the maximum sanction under Article 102 of its disciplinary code, which allows four to 12 matches for violent conduct causing serious injury. The committee based its decision on referee Manuel Ángel Pérez Hernández's report. The report 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 cited the "public and notorious" consequences of the incident in justifying the maximum penalty.
The federation also decided the abandoned match will not be replayed, allowing the 2-2 draw to stand as the "most respectful course of action" given the circumstances. Owono has 10 working days to appeal to the RFEF Appeals Committee.
Owono, an Equatorial Guinea international, issued a statement on 4 November saying he was experiencing "the most difficult days" of his life and felt "enormous pain" over De Miguel's death. FC Andorra manager Carles Manso said on Thursday that Owono is spending time with his family and has yet to decide whether he will return to football. Manso added that the club will give him "space" to make any decision about his future. The goalkeeper is currently under the care of the club's psychologists and doctors.
Spanish police opened an investigation into De Miguel's death for possible negligent homicide. Tenerife's chief prosecutor José Luis Sánchez-Jáuregui said criminal proceedings were unlikely. A preliminary autopsy reportedly found De Miguel died from chest trauma that caused cardiac arrest.
De Miguel's funeral was attended by around 400 mourners, including Spain national team coach Luis de la Fuente and Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez. His family thanked supporters for donations to a crowdfunding campaign. FC Andorra resumed training on Monday and plays UD Almería on Saturday without Owono.
