Tenerife Boss: Owono’s 12-Match Ban For Fatal Collision ‘Feels Light’

Tenerife manager Alvaro Cervera believes goalkeeper Jesus Owono’s 12-match suspension following the death of forward Jesus de Miguel ‘might feel light’, but says football regulations left little room for a harsher punishment.

Owono was sent off after colliding with De Miguel during the closing stages of a Spanish second-tier match on November 2. De Miguel, 30, died the following day.

The Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary committee confirmed on Friday that Owono would serve a 12-match suspension, the maximum punishment permitted under the existing regulations.

Speaking ahead of Tenerife’s first match since De Miguel’s death, Cervera acknowledged that the sanction could appear inadequate given the circumstances, while recognising the limits of the disciplinary rules.

‘I think that, just as in other areas of life, there are rules or laws that must be followed,’ Cervera said.

‘Since the current regulations don’t specifically account for what happened, I believe they have simply adhered to the rules and imposed the number of matches permitted by the regulations.

‘Anything else I might say would just be my own personal opinion, which I’ll keep to myself. It might seem a bit light when compared to other cases, but in reality, I don’t think the rules allow for anything else.’