sport

Owono says De Miguel death brought hardest days of his life

Owono deactivated his Instagram account on Tuesday after receiving online abuse, including comments calling him a “murderer.” He had more than 30,000…

owono, andorra, jesús, de miguel, spanish, difficult, life, keeper owono

Key facts

  • The 25-year-old’s club issued a statement on his behalf, saying he wished to share a few words personally after the incident that led to De Miguel’s…
  • Owono deactivated his Instagram account on Tuesday after receiving online abuse, including comments calling him a “murderer.” He had more than 30,000…
  • He had run towards the centre circle to clear a long ball when his knee appeared to collide with De Miguel.

The 25-year-old’s club issued a statement on his behalf, saying he wished to share a few words personally after the incident that led to De Miguel’s death. De Miguel, 30, was married and had an 18-month-old child. Both were in the stadium when the incident happened.

Owono deactivated his Instagram account on Tuesday after receiving online abuse, including comments calling him a “murderer.” He had more than 30,000 followers that morning.

He had run towards the centre circle to clear a long ball when his knee appeared to collide with De Miguel.

Teammate Lautaro Spatz earlier defended him on social media, saying the goalkeeper and friend was deeply affected by what had happened.

Owono had been sent off for the challenge. He walked towards the touchline, then turned back as staff ran the other way.

Andorra said it remained deeply affected by De Miguel’s death and demanded the greatest respect and sensibility. The club said it was offering psychological support to anyone who needed it. “These are being the hardest days of my life,” Owono said. “I find it hard to find the words and very difficult to assimilate what has happened.”.

Lire en français