Jesús de Miguel died from “accidental chest trauma”, according to the preliminary autopsy report. The Tenerife striker, aged 30, tragically passed away on Tuesday following a collision during a match against FC Andorra.
The devastating incident occurred on Monday evening during additional time of a LaLiga Hypermotion fixture. De Miguel was sprinting toward the ball in the 97th minute when Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono charged out of his area attempting to clear it, but made heavy contact with his opponent’s chest.
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Owono received a red card, as De Miguel received immediate on-field treatment, quickly going into cardiac arrest. He was transported by ambulance to Hospital Universitario de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria where, despite initially being stabilized, he passed away at 8am Tuesday morning. The match was subsequently abandoned, and the Royal Spanish Football Federation suspended all fixtures until Friday.
-Credit:Europa Press News, Europa Press via Getty Images
Tributes and condolences have flooded in throughout Spanish soccer following his passing, as judicial and law enforcement authorities carry out a routine investigation into the incident. The cause of De Miguel’s death has since been confirmed through a post-mortem examination.
According to local outlets Canarias7 and El Día, the Institute of Forensic Medicine determined that De Miguel died from “accidental thoracic trauma, as per The Mirror.
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“Thoracic trauma” has been identified as a “cause consistent with the death” of De Miguel, although results from additional tests performed, including toxicology reports, remain outstanding.
The initial forensic report was filed on Wednesday morning with Magistrate Eva Esther Juárez Fernández, who is leading the investigative division court supervising the inquiry into De Miguel’s death.
The Tenerife first team, coaching staff, and club management attended De Miguel’s funeral, which took place in Navahermosa, a village in the province of Toledo, Spain, on Thursday.
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Owono addressed the incident publicly on Wednesday and acknowledged that these have been the most challenging days of his life. In a statement, FC Andorra said: “FC Andorra continues to be deeply affected by the death of Jesús de Miguel. In these very difficult moments, our player Jesús Owono wishes to personally share a few words.
“These are the most difficult days of my life. I am struggling to find the words and find it very difficult to assimilate anything that has happened,” Owono said.
“I feel an enormous pain for the loss of Jesús. I think of him, his family and everyone who loved him. I know there will be many issues to address; I will face whatever comes with the utmost respect. But right now, honestly, I cannot think of anything else except Jesús and the pain we are experiencing. Rest in peace, Jesús.”
Any death “not resulting from natural causes” automatically triggers a judicial investigation, and homicide officers in Tenerife have launched a probe into the incident. The medical response to the situation will also fall under scrutiny.
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Santa Cruz de Tenerife chief prosecutor José Luis Sánchez-Jáuregui stated that criminal proceedings against Owono are, however, “very unlikely.”
Jesus de Miguel with (right to left) his sister, girlfriend, daughter, mother and father -Credit:Instagram/@martitamig
Owono has been omitted from the Equatorial Guinea squad ahead of the upcoming international break, and the RFEF Disciplinary Committee is expected to rule this afternoon on the length of his footballing ban. A previous official report suggests this could range between a four- and 12-game suspension.
In a touching gesture, UD Almería, a club partly owned by Cristiano Ronaldo, has announced a financial donation to De Miguel’s family. Almería are scheduled to host Tenerife later this season, and club president Mohammed Al Khereiji has pledged to direct all ticket revenue from that fixture toward supporting the player’s family. De Miguel is survived by his partner María and their one-year-old daughter, Carla.
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Both María and Carla were tragically present at the stadium for Monday’s match. Family friend Fernando Roman spoke to Spanish outlet Vamos a Ver, revealing the heartbreaking circumstances in which De Miguel’s girlfriend was left alone at the hospital following his passing.
“Yesterday, my girlfriend and I were talking all afternoon and all night with María, his girlfriend, who was alone in the hospital,” Roman said. “I’ve spoken with his girlfriend, and you can imagine how she is. Now we have to be with the family. We have to send our love to his family, to María, to his daughter Carla, who is a year and a few months old.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
