Goalkeeper Owono handed 12-match ban after De Miguel’s death

Madrid, Nov 14. (dpa/GNA) – FC Andorra goalkeeper, Jesús Owono, was handed a 12-match ban on Friday, for a serious foul on CD Tenerife’s Jesús de Miguel, who died a day after the challenge.

The Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary committee said the suspension, was the maximum punishment allowed under its rules for the offence described in the referee’s report.

De Miguel suffered a cardiac arrest, following Owono’s challenge during a 2-2 draw in Spain’s second division on November 2.

He was treated on the pitch and carried off on a stretcher, before dying in hospital the next day, aged 30.

Owono was sent off for the challenge, which referee Manuel Ángel Pérez Hernández described in his match report as involving excessive force.

Owono, 25, expressed deep distress following de Miguel’s death, and is receiving psychological and medical support from his club, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. Andorra coach Carles Manso has dismissed reports that the goalkeeper is considering retirement.GNA