The Questions Still Burning in Andorra's Dressing Room After the Death

I keep returning to those two minutes from Monday night — there is no camera angle in the footage, only Jesús de Miguel lying on the ground and Jesús Owono trying to get up with his knee on the turf. The next morning came the news of De Miguel's death in hospital. A second-division match in Spain, which nobody would have remembered, has now become a death investigation. I have watched football for 41 years, but in incidents like this you close the tactics notebook — there is no formation here, no xG, only a family, a team, and one question: after an on-field collision, who is responsible, and who is the judge?

For context, the match between Andorra and Tenerife in the Spanish second division was an ordinary league fixture. De Miguel, a 30-year-old defender, and Owono, a 25-year-old goalkeeper who plays for Equatorial Guinea, are both far from superstar status, but this incident has put their names in global news. Police have opened an investigation because under Spanish law, unnatural deaths — including accidents — fall under judicial investigation. This does not mean anyone is guilty; it only means the question now belongs to the courts. Andorra defender Lautaro Spatz said the dressing room was stunned and Owono was deeply affected. Tenerife's majority shareholder announced the squad would attend De Miguel's funeral, with a tribute also planned.

Here is my core observation: there is no place for tactical analysis in this incident, but there is a cultural crisis — football spectators want to assign blame now, before the investigation is complete. My long-standing position on referees and VAR applies here: when referees make decisions, they become match editors; but in this incident the referee saw nothing, because this was an accident outside the normal flow of play. Yet "reckless challenge" is already circulating on social media. De Miguel's wife, Mina Bonino, herself said Owono is not a murderer and she does not want vilification. Still, the word "reckless" remains in her statement, which is an opinion, not a court ruling.

When I watch the tape repeatedly — and yes, the biggest limitation of this piece is that I was not in the stadium, relying only on broadcast footage — I notice one thing clearly: Owono was involved in a collision, but the speed, angle, or intent of the collision cannot be established from the footage. Police have opened an investigation but have not filed any charge, no referee report has been made public, and there is no expert video-review opinion. Yet racist abuse against Owono has already begun online, and his Instagram account has been deactivated. This is not the aftermath of a football match; it is a human crisis, in which football spectators have appointed themselves judges.

My second observation: the clubs' immediate response is commendable, but the pressure they are under must be acknowledged. Tenerife's decision — the whole squad will attend the funeral, players will be given rest — is humanly right. But it does not mean the league authorities have changed any policy. Andorra has not announced any match postponement, and the league has not updated any safety protocol. I see this as a "control group": this nightmare shows us how unprepared football is for mental health support. The home-advantage decline I saw after the Covid break in 2026 was a game of statistics; here there are no statistics, only a team whose teammate has died and another goalkeeper who has been the target of racist abuse.

Now to my contrarian space. How could I be wrong? Perhaps this incident is really a football-culture problem — league authorities' indifference to player safety. How standard are medical support, ambulance presence, and rapid hospital transfer at second-division matches? No one has the answer right now because the investigation is ongoing. But if it turns out there was a delay in medical assistance reaching the pitch, then the fault lies not with Owono but with management. Another counter-possibility: if the racist abuse against Owono is proven to be organized, football authorities should take tough action against the platforms. But no such measure has been announced.

Think about it: a death has occurred, and we still do not know exactly what happened. Police are investigating, but no one knows when the report will come. Meanwhile, an online trial of Owono is underway. I am noting in my receipt book: if within the next 90 days a Spanish court rules this incident an "accident," then those who are convicting Owono today should apologize. And if the investigation finds negligence on Owono's part, then the football world must send a clear message within the same 90 days — but through legal process, not through the social-media mob.

I have always said, "every hot take is a hypothesis wearing a deadline." Here my hypothesis is: the racist abuse against Owono and the death of De Miguel happened at the same time, but there is no causal link between them; rather, they are two separate crises that must be addressed together. Football teaches us to decide quickly, but here deciding quickly means injustice. My appeal: let us wait for the investigation's findings, and until then protect Owono — because he too is a human being who has accidentally become part of a nightmare.