De Miguel collapsed on Monday after being struck by FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a second-division match. Club doctors found his heart had stopped and began resuscitation, and he was taken from the pitch to a hospital in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where he died on Tuesday morning.
Owono was shown a red card, and the match, tied at 2-2, was halted in stoppage time.
Spanish media citing lawyers said a conviction for involuntary manslaughter was unlikely, with a severe sporting sanction the more probable outcome for the goalkeeper.
Former Spain and Real Madrid goalkeeper Santiago Canizares told radio station Cope that Owono had deliberately hit de Miguel to prevent a goal.
“You can clearly see Owono using excessive force to stop de Miguel,” Canizares said, adding that the goalkeeper, who is from Equatorial Guinea, had not gone in by chance with his bent knee raised high.
Fans in several Spanish cities have left flowers and candles outside stadiums of clubs where de Miguel played. At Tenerife’s ground, supporters and tourists have gathered at Gate 9, chosen by the club because of the shirt number he usually wore.
Condolences have come from Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Barcelona and Sevilla. Players including Pedri, Alvaro Morata, Raphinha and Manuel Neuer have also posted tributes, with Neuer joining a public debate on how to prevent similar tragedies.
Spanish media reported that de Miguel’s funeral will be held on Thursday at the Church of St Michael the Archangel in Navahermosa, in Toledo province, his family’s home town.
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Source: PAP