A Spanish footballer, Michel Owono, has condemned racist abuse, insults and threats directed at him after being wrongly identified as the goalkeeper involved in the fatal collision that led to the death of CD Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel.
Owono, who plays for Spanish club CF Can Vidalet, revealed that he had received numerous hateful messages from football supporters who confused him with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono following the tragic incident that has sent shockwaves across Spanish football.
The confusion arose because both players share the same surname, with some social media users apparently directing their anger towards the wrong individual following the death of the Tenerife forward.
De Miguel, 30, died on Tuesday, November 3, after suffering a cardiac arrest following an on-field collision with Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono during a Spanish second-division encounter on Monday.
The incident occurred in stoppage time when the goalkeeper rushed out of his penalty area to challenge for a long ball and collided with De Miguel, leaving the striker seriously injured on the pitch.
Medical personnel immediately attended to the forward before he was taken to hospital for emergency treatment. Despite efforts to save his life, Tenerife subsequently confirmed his death.
Following the incident, Jesús Owono became the subject of widespread criticism and online abuse, with the goalkeeper reportedly deactivating his Instagram account amid the backlash.
However, the hostility extended beyond the player directly involved in the collision, with Michel Owono also becoming a target of racist attacks and threats despite having no connection to the incident.
Taking to his X account on Tuesday, Michel expressed his condolences to De Miguel’s family and the Tenerife football community before firmly distancing himself from the goalkeeper.
“First of all, I want to express my deepest condolences for the death of CD Tenerife player Jesús de Miguel, following the hard tackle he suffered in the match against FC Andorra. My condolences to his family, his loved ones, and everyone close to the player,” he wrote.
He added: “Furthermore, I want to make it clear that I AM NOT JESÚS OWONO and that I have no connection with what happened. They are confusing me because of my surname, and as a result, I have received a large number of messages of hate, racism, insults and threats, which hurt me deeply and which I condemn in their entirety.”
The footballer also criticised the growing hostility and intolerance directed at people because of their background, insisting that no one should be subjected to discrimination or threats over their skin colour or place of origin.
He further called on football supporters to remember the importance of humanity and respect, particularly during moments of tragedy.
“Football must unite, not divide. And hatred, harassment and discrimination have no place anywhere, neither in sport nor in life,” he added.
Michel’s club, CF Can Vidalet, also issued a statement condemning the attacks and expressing solidarity with their player.
The club stressed that racism, defamation, insults and threats had no place in football, describing the abuse against Michel as unjustified attacks resulting from mistaken identity.
The incident has once again raised concerns about online harassment and racism in football, particularly the speed at which misinformation and unverified assumptions can turn into targeted abuse.
Meanwhile, Spanish police have opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding De Miguel’s death, with authorities examining the incident as a possible case of involuntary manslaughter.
UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin has also announced that a minute of silence will be observed before European matches this week in honour of the late Tenerife striker.
As tributes continue to pour in for De Miguel, the abuse suffered by Michel Owono has added another disturbing dimension to an already tragic episode, highlighting the consequences of directing anger at individuals without first establishing their identity.
