Andorra keeper Owono banned 12 matches over challenge that led to Jesús de Miguel's death

Committee imposes maximum sanction

The disciplinary committee of the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF) announced on Friday, 13 November 2026 that FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono will serve 12 matches of suspension. The committee classed the action as a serious infringement under article 102 of the RFEF disciplinary code and applied the top of the penalty range, adding fines under article 52. El Confidencial reported that the decision took a few days longer than usual, because the case had no precedent in Spanish elite football and the code does not cover a death resulting from a challenge.

The match and its aftermath

On Monday, 2 November, during round 12 of LaLiga Hypermotion, Owono was sent off in the match between CD Tenerife and Andorra. According to the referee's report, he struck an opponent sharply with a raised leg, using excessive force while the ball was in dispute. Referee Manuel Ángel Pérez Hernández recorded the red card without noting any intent to injure or deliberately harm, according to El Periódico. Jesús de Miguel, a 30-year-old Tenerife forward, was treated on the pitch and left on a stretcher. He suffered cardiorespiratory arrest after a blow to the chest, was taken to the Hospital de La Calendaria in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and died a few hours later on Tuesday, 3 November.

Penalty range and legal basis

Before the decision, the referee's report pointed to a range of four to 12 matches under article 102 for actions taking place with the ball in dispute, according to El Periódico. El Confidencial noted that the alternative article 122, which covers dangerous play that causes harm, would have allowed one to three matches or up to a month. The committee took the maximum under article 102, citing the particular gravity of the action, the abruptness of the impact and the excessive force used. El Confidencial described the 12 matches as almost half a season away from the pitch. Defence lawyer Gregory Ernes argued that the foul should be judged on its own terms rather than on its outcome.

“The fault must not be analyzed in light of its consequences.”

Recent precedents

El Periódico listed earlier sanctions for similar incidents. The highest penalty for a ball-contest incident this century was five matches for Javi Navarro, who elbowed Juan Arango in a 2005 Mallorca-Sevilla match, leaving the Venezuelan forward in intensive care. Claudio Arzeno received six matches in 2000 for an elbow on Edgaras Jankauskas. Older cases were heavier: Joaquín Cortizo received 24 matches in 1964 for a tackle that broke Enrique Collar's tibia and fibula. The most recent comparable penalty was 12 matches for goalkeeper Esteban Andrada, who punched Jorge Pulido in a Huesca-Zaragoza match, plus one more match for an earlier red card.

Owono (2026)12

Esteban Andrada12

Claudio Arzeno (2000)6

Javi Navarro (2005)5

Joaquín Cortizo (1964)24

Owono (2026)

12 matches

Esteban Andrada

12 matches

Claudio Arzeno (2000)

6 matches

Javi Navarro (2005)

5 matches

Joaquín Cortizo (1964)

24 matches

Data from the article text