MADRID (AP) — Spanish soccer club Tenerife on Sunday paid tribute to Jesús de Miguel in its first game since the striker's shocking death, with midfielder Nacho Gil holding up De Miguel's jersey after scoring his team's opening goal shortly before halftime.
Before the second-division match, players from both Tenerife and Ceuta wore jerseys reading “Siempre en nuestro recuerdo” (Always in our memory). They gathered at midfield for a moment of silence.
The shirts all had De Miguel's name and his No. 9 on the back.
After the warmup, Tenerife captain Enric Gallego placed De Miguel’s jersey on the field, and his teammates gathered around it.
Play stopped in the ninth minute, marking De Miguel's shirt number. Players, coaches and fans applauded.
Gil appeared overcome with emotion when he was given De Miguel's jersey after scoring in the 40th. Neal Viereck sealed Tenerife's 2-0 win over Ceuta, its first league victory since September.
A mural depicting De Miguel had been painted outside Gate 9 at Tenerife's Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium, where fans had left flowers, scarves and candles following his death.
De Miguel died on Nov. 3. He was chasing a high ball in midfield when he was struck in the chest by Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono, who rushed far outside his area near the end of the Nov. 2 match in Tenerife. The 30-year-old De Miguel suffered cardiac arrest following the collision.
Owono on Friday was suspended for 12 games after he received a red card for the on-field collision with De Miguel. The Spanish soccer federation’s disciplinary committee said Owono used “excessive force” in the collision.
Owono had issued a statement through his club expressing his remorse and offering his condolences to De Miguel’s family.
Spanish police opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter. Under Spanish law, deaths from non-natural causes, including accidents, are subject to judicial investigation, though prosecutors have said that criminal proceedings were unlikely.
Andorra coach Carles Manso said Thursday that it would be up to Owono to decide when he feels ready to play again.
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