By Fatma Younis
Spanish police have opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter after Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel died following an on-field collision during a second-division match against Andorra.
Collision leads to cardiac arrest
The 30-year-old was challenging for the ball near midfield in added time on Monday when he was struck in the chest by onrushing Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono. Owono was shown a straight red card. De Miguel suffered cardiac arrest on the field; his pulse was restored in the ambulance but his condition worsened neurologically and he died at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, the club said.
Club and football community react
Tenerife, based in the Canary Islands, said it was “heartbroken” and extended support to De Miguel’s family. Andorra, owned by former Barcelona star Gerard Piqué, offered condolences, as did the Spanish soccer federation, La Liga, and clubs including Real Madrid, Espanyol, Manchester United and Liverpool. The federation postponed two Copa del Rey matches and one Copa de la Reina match scheduled for Tuesday. Real Madrid observed a minute of silence during training.
Previous similar incidents
Life-threatening injuries from collisions in soccer are rare. Last year a 19-year-old goalkeeper, Raúl Ramírez, died from head injuries sustained in a fifth-division match in Spain. In 2001 Ukrainian goalkeeper Serhiy Perkhun died from head injuries received in a collision while playing for CSKA Moscow.
