A Tenerife striker has died after suffering a knee injury. The question now is whether Jesus Ono faces criminal responsibility

The sequence makes the blood circulate cold. Jesus de Miguel, forward of CD Tenerife, received a clearance during a match against Andorra, but before he could even control the ball, he was brutally beaten by the opposing goalkeeper Jesus Oono. The shock is great. terrible Oono is seen striking Miguel in the chest and face with one of his knees, and does so with such violence that he staggers before falling. Behind him, Miguel is writhing in agony. Only seconds later he lay on the grass, inert, to the astonishment of the rest of the players and fans.

A few hours ago CD Tenerife reported the striker’s death, which left a terrible wound in Spanish football and a thorny question: what kind of responsibility should the Andorra goalkeeper now take on?

What happened? That 3 November turned out to be a disastrous day for Spanish sport. At 9:31 am, CD Tenerife reports through his X account the death of Jesús de Miguel Alameda (Madrid, 1996), a forward with a long career who played for clubs such as CD Castellon or Unionistas de Salamanca CF and developed most of his professional career in the first federation and is now playing in the second division.

The tweet from the Tenerife team begins, “Cracked with pain, with a lump in the throat and unable to believe that this is true, from CD Tenerife we ​​announce the tragic death, this Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 8:00 am, Jesus de Miguel Alameda”. “There are no words of comfort; nothing that soothes this sorrowful feeling.” The brief statement ended with a request for privacy for the footballer’s family.

How was this possible? This is the question that fans of Tenerife, the Principality and the rest of the football teams are asking themselves today, regardless of division or colour. De Miguel died yesterday after acting in a brutal incident during a match against Andorra at the Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez Stadium (Santa Cruz de Tenerife). We can analyze the sequence in detail because it was recorded by the camera: the CD Tenerife forward tries to reach the ball when Ono comes out of his goal like a bullet, jumps with his front knee and gives a very violent blow to the forward of the Canarian team.

It doesn’t take long for them to realize the importance of what happened on the field. De Miguel lay down on the grass. Other players move on. Hands on head. nervous face Health workers enter the field. “Considering the gravity of the incident” both teams ended up in the locker room and the game was tied at 2-2. The priority was no longer the score, but the health of Miguel, who had to be resuscitated after a cardiorespiratory arrest.

in the ICU and with a fatal outcome. The next few hours were tense and nervous. CD Tenerife reported that the footballer was admitted to the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital’s ICU in “stable, serious condition”, but a few hours later they updated the report to say that his condition had “deteriorated neurologically”. The fatal consequences did not take long. With him, expressions of condolence followed and a question was raised that has circulated through the media and networks: What responsibility does goalkeeper Jesus Ono face?

First thing: caution. This is the most important thing at the moment, just hours after the game and the death of Jesus de Miguel. The video shows the hardness of Ono’s tackle, but football is a contact game and that is not enough to decide the extent of the responsibility of the Andorran goalkeeper. Especially if you want to go outside the realm of strictly sports. In general, analysts agree that analyzing the sequence in detail, evaluating the goalkeeper’s performance and examining expert and medical reports, including the autopsy, are key to explaining the causes of death.

That said, it’s also important to understand that there are two (or even three) different debates. A strictly sports; That is, what are Ono’s responsibilities as a professional player and what sanctions could he face as a result. In this case, the reference standard is the RFEF Disciplinary Code. The second contention is legal. What legal liability arises from the actions of the goalkeeper of Equatoguinean descent? And if so, what is its scope? Is there criminal liability? And at the civil level?

What does the rule say? If we talk about the first area, strictly sports, the disciplinary code is clear: Article 102 establishes sanctions of suspension of four to 12 games for “violent” games that include “harmful or harmful consequences”. In his minutes, the referee spoke of Ono’s “excessive use of force” and described how he “suddenly struck a raised leg” at the striker. His approval will likely depend on what a disciplinary committee decides. Outside the football field, there are already those who question whether the prosecutor’s office is the law.

What does the penal code say? In this case we must look to Article 142, which warns: “Whoever causes the death of another by gross negligence shall, on conviction of reckless homicide, be punished with imprisonment for one to four years.” The same rule distinguishes between different possible situations (deaths involving firearms or road-related deaths in the context of work) and ends with a tagline: “Whoever, through less serious recklessness, causes the death of another, shall be punished with a fine of three to 18 months.”

The point is therefore to determine how much of Ono’s actions in a sport like football are part of an inherent and acceptable risk or whether his behavior represents recklessness with fatal consequences. Again, to clarify this, the expert report and autopsy on Jesus de Miguel will be conclusive.

What will follow the red card? The knee earned the goalkeeper an immediate red card, but now it must be determined whether it was an act susceptible to criminal or civil liability, which could demand compensation for the loss, moral damage and costs incurred by the local family in Madrid.

The Penal Code envisages a more severe penalty (between 10 and 15 years in prison) when a premeditated murder is proven, i.e., committed intentionally. Reports of what transpired yesterday indicated that, after the game, Ono was seen crying in the locker room. The goalkeeper announced that he wanted to apologize to Miguel’s family.

What do the experts say? Alfredo Ariane, lawyer specializing in criminal law, explains readings that “the Prosecutor’s Office may act ex officio” when assessing “negligent homicide”. “There is really no intention to kill, but there is a fatal reason. That entry results in a clear causal link,” insists the lawyer, who a priori believes that we can speak of a case of “reckless murder”, although he admits that the key is to clarify, such as if there was an “awareness” that would have penal implications.

Criminal law firm Escudo Legal also shared an article in which it talks precisely about the “concept of game throw and its limits in law” and leaves an interesting conclusion: “Sportsmanship is not a safe conduct for impunity. There is a clear limit where actions that exceed the rules of the game, especially those that cause serious harm and display out of context. Can be pursued and condemned.”

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