Owono left out of Eq Guinea squad after death of De Miguel

What the report says

Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper Jesus Owono has been withdrawn from the national squad for this month’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers after asking not to be selected following the death of Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel, BBC Sport Football reported. De Miguel, 30, died after sustaining a serious injury in a collision with Owono during a Spanish second-tier match on Monday.

In a statement released by his club, FC Andorra, Owono said he was going through the hardest period of his life and was struggling to process what had happened. The Equatorial Guinea football federation, Feguifut, said the 25-year-old requested to be left out of coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese’s squad. Federation president Venancio Tomas Micha had earlier said the body was providing its full support to the player.

Owono has been Equatorial Guinea’s first-choice goalkeeper since November 2020 and has played at the last three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. His absence comes as Equatorial Guinea prepare for a Group E double-header against Zimbabwe, with matches scheduled in Bata and Harare. The team are level on three points with Zimbabwe after two rounds, while DR Congo lead the group and Sierra Leone are bottom. The development adds a personal dimension to a qualifying campaign already tightly poised.