Jesus Owono Excluded from Equatorial Guinea Afcon Qualifiers Following Tenerife Player's Death

Goalkeeper Jesus Owono has been excluded from Equatorial Guinea's squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers following the death of Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel.

De Miguel, 30, died after suffering serious injuries in a collision with Owono during a Spanish second division match on Monday.

Owono expressed his grief in a statement released by his club FC Andorra, stating it is 'the most difficult days of my life' and that 'it is very hard to come to terms with what has happened.'

The Equatorial Guinea football federation (Feguifut) confirmed that Owono had requested to be left out of coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese's squad.

Feguifut president Venancio Tomas Micha previously stated that the organization was offering 'all our human and professional backing' to Owono.

Owono has been the first-choice goalkeeper for Equatorial Guinea since November 2020 and has participated in the past three Africa Cups.

Equatorial Guinea is set to face Zimbabwe in a double-header in Group E, with matches scheduled for Thursday, 12 November in Bata and Harare four days later.

The two teams are currently tied on three points after two rounds, with DR Congo leading the group on six points and Sierra Leone at the bottom with zero points.