FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono says he is experiencing "the most difficult days of my life" after the death of Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
De Miguel, 30, died after suffering a serious injury in a collision with Owono during a Spanish second division match on Monday. A father-of-one, De Miguel joined Tenerife in summer 2025. The world of football paid tribute to De Miguel, with a minute's silence held at all games in European competition this week.
Owono's club issued a statement on the goalkeeper's behalf on Wednesday, explaining the 25-year-old "wishes to share a few words personally".
"These are the most difficult days of my life," Owono says in the statement. "I struggle to find the words, and it is very hard for me to come to terms with what has happened.
"I feel enormous pain over the loss of Jesus. I think of him, his family, and everyone who loved him.
"I know there will be many issues to address, and I will face whatever comes with the utmost respect. But right now, honestly, I cannot think about anything other than Jesus and the pain we are all experiencing."
Earlier on Wednesday, FC Andorra team-mate Lautaro Spatz defended Owono and said he "would never intentionally hurt anyone" and had been "deeply affected" by De Miguel's death.
Writing on social media, centre-back Spatz said Owono was devastated. Spatz paid tribute to De Miguel, then said of Owono: "Those of us who know him know the kind of person he is, how much he is suffering at this moment and that he would never intentionally hurt anyone.
"In football, unfortunate incidents can happen but no-one could imagine that one of them might end with such tragic consequences."
Players from FC Andorra held a minute's silence before a voluntary training session on Wednesday. Owono was not at the session.
Tenerife and Andorra were drawing 2-2 seven minutes into stoppage time on Monday when the incident occurred. Owono ran towards the centre circle to clear a long ball when his knee appeared to collide with De Miguel. The striker lay motionless on the pitch as medical staff treated him, before he was taken by ambulance from Tenerife's Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez to hospital. Owono was sent off and the match was abandoned.
The goalkeeper, who had over 30,000 followers on Instagram on Tuesday morning, has since deactivated his account.
Police in Spain opened a routine investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter following De Miguel's death. Under Spanish law, any death that is deemed non-natural automatically triggers a judicial inquiry.
Owono has made 47 international appearances for Equatorial Guinea. The president of Equatorial Guinea's football federation, Venancio Tomas Micha, issued a statement on Tuesday offering "all our human and professional backing" to the player. "As the involuntary protagonist of this tragic incident in the game, he is living through this situation with deep sorrow and distress," he added.
On Tuesday, mourners laid flowers and lit candles beneath a black and white image of De Miguel at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez. Tenerife said in a statement they will commence six official days of mourning, with all club activities suspended during this time. The club's players, staff and officials will attend De Miguel's funeral, which will take place in Navahermosa, Toledo.