Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel dies after collision during match

Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel has died after suffering cardiac arrest following an on-field collision with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono during a Spanish second-division match, his club said. De Miguel was 30. The collision occurred near midfield in added time on Monday, when Owono ran out of his area to challenge for a long ball.

The goalkeeper struck De Miguel in the chest while attempting to clear the ball. Owono received a straight red card. De Miguel was taken to hospital after collapsing.

The match, which was level at 2-2, was abandoned. The precise medical cause of death has not been disclosed, and the reports do not identify any pre-existing condition. Spain’s national police opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter.

The move reflects Spanish rules requiring judicial investigations into deaths from non-natural causes, including accidents. However, Santa Cruz de Tenerife chief prosecutor José Luis Sánchez-Jáuregui told the Spanish news agency EFE that criminal proceedings were unlikely because the collision took place during play. Tenerife said it was heartbroken by the death.

The club’s largest shareholder, Rayco García, said De Miguel’s body would be taken to Navahermosa in Toledo province at his family’s request. He said teammates and club officials would attend a final farewell and that supporters would gather at the stadium on Saturday to honour the player. Club president Felipe Miñambres said the players and their families would probably need professional help and support from fans.

Tenerife has asked for its league match at Granada this weekend to be postponed. Tributes spread through Spanish and international football. The Spanish football federation postponed Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina matches scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

UEFA said its matches that week would include a minute’s silence, and Champions League teams observed one in De Miguel’s memory. Reports said Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Gerard Piqué offered condolences, as did Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool. Piqué, who owns FC Andorra, was among those paying tribute.

De Miguel, a Madrid native, began his senior career with Leganés B in 2015 and later played for several lower-division Spanish clubs before joining Tenerife last year. His death also prompted a warning about online abuse: another footballer named Michel Owono, who plays for sixth-tier club Can Vidalet, denounced racist insults directed at him by people confusing him with the Andorra goalkeeper. The investigation remains open, but the prosecutor’s initial assessment, as reported by ABC News Australia, indicates that a criminal case is unlikely.

The authorities have not announced any finding that the collision was deliberate.