FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono has been banned for 12 matches after his challenge led to the death of Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel. What is he known for?
The Spanish football federation imposed the maximum penalty under the rule it applied, a 12-match ban, on Owono on November 13th.
Earlier in November, Owono came out of his penalty area to contest a high ball late in the second-tier game between FC Andorra and Tenerife, striking de Miguel in the chest with a raised leg.
The referee sent him off and recorded that he had used excessive force. De Miguel, 30, received treatment on the pitch before paramedics took him to hospital, but he died the following morning.
The federation’s disciplinary committee made the decision after reviewing the report from the referee. As justification for the maximum suspension, it referenced Owono’s elevated leg, the impact’s force, and the fatal result.
The score at the end of regulation play was 2-2, and the federation later decided that the match would conclude with a draw.
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Owono’s career from Bata to La Liga
At the age of eight, Owono’s family relocated from Bata, Equatorial Guinea, to San Sebastián. After playing for Real Sociedad‘s youth teams, he joined Deportivo Alavés when he was sixteen years old.
The match against Real Sociedad was his La Liga debut in January 2022. He logged every minute of the 1-1 tie.
Owono made 20 first-team appearances for Alavés, including 11 in La Liga, before joining FC Andorra on loan in July 2025. Andorra signed him permanently in August 2026 on a two-season deal with an option for two more.
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Two saves against Mali
After 120 goalless minutes against Mali at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, played in January 2022, Owono saved twice in the shootout. His stop from defender Falaye Sacko sealed a 6–5 win and took Equatorial Guinea into the last eight.
Two years later, Owono was named player of the match in a draw with Nigeria and again in a 4–0 win over hosts Côte d’Ivoire. The Confederation of African Football picked him as the best goalkeeper of the group stage.
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He went on to start all three of Equatorial Guinea’s matches at the 2025 edition, his third AFCON.
