Jesus Owono said he was going through the hardest days of his life following the death of Tenerife striker Jesus De Miguel, his club FC Andorra said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Tenerife forward died on Tuesday morning after colliding with Owono during Monday’s Spanish second division match.
Owono was sent off for running away from his target and forcefully hitting De Miguel, 30, who suffered a heart attack after the Tenerife player was rushed to intensive care.
“These are the most difficult days of my life,” Owono said in a statement. “I’m having a hard time finding the words and I’m having a hard time processing what’s going on. I know there’s going to be a lot of questions to sort out and I’m very respectful of everything.
“But right now, honestly, I can’t think of anything but Jesus and the pain we’re going through. Rest in peace, Jesus.”
Owono deactivated his Instagram account on Tuesday after being bullied online.
Andorra said they were offering psychological support to anyone at the club who needed it following De Miguel’s death.
Andorran centre-back Lautaro Spatz defended his team-mate Ovono on Tuesday evening.
“I also want to say a few words about my teammate, my goalkeeper and my friend who were very affected by what happened,” Spatz said on social media.
“Those of us who know him know the kind of person he is, how much pain he’s going through right now and that he would never intentionally hurt anyone.”
“Accidents can happen in football, but no one could have imagined that one of them would end up with such tragic results,” Spatz said, also offering his condolences to De Miguel’s family and Tenerife.
The Equatorial Guinea Football Federation expressed its support for Owono in a statement on Tuesday, saying the 25-year-old footballer is going through a period of deep sadness and grief.
Owono has played 47 times for the Equatorial Guinea national team.
Meanwhile, Can Vidalet’s goalkeeper Michel Owono said he was subjected to racist abuse on social media, with people confusing him with the Andorran player.
Spain’s national police have launched a routine investigation into De Miguel’s death.
Fans gathered at Tenerife’s Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez stadium to commemorate De Miguel, and the club announced six days of official mourning.
A memorial service for the striker will be held on Saturday evening and fans are invited to attend.
Spain’s domestic games were postponed on Tuesday as a mark of respect, but Champions League games went ahead, including Barcelona’s clash with Aston Villa at the Nou Camp.
A minute’s silence was observed before the match, which Barca won 3-0 with Raphinha scoring twice.
talking to CBS Sports Later, the Brazilian refused to talk about the game, saying: “I want to send a lot of strength to the family of Jesus. I will not talk about football today.
“The truth for me is that (playing) was quite difficult. When I saw the news, of course I didn’t feel good. He is a local player and it could have happened to anyone, it could have happened to me.
“He was the same age as me, I don’t know, so it affected me more. It was a difficult day. It affected me personally.”
Arsenal also held a minute’s silence in memory of De Miguel in training, while manager Mikel Arteta addressed the situation at a press conference.
“It’s absolutely heartening,” Arteta said. “Watching the movement, the event, what happened, to see a colleague lose his life in such a way is beyond any words I can say today.
“So, on behalf of everyone at the club, we want to send our condolences to Jesus de Miguel’s family, to all his loved ones and to Tenerife, because it was a really difficult day.”
The Tenerife match was abandoned after a stoppage-time incident, with worried players calling for an ambulance.
“We are with his devastated family, his loved ones … today we weep at this cruel outcome,” said a statement from Tenerife announcing De Miguel’s death.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, Andorra said the club was “deeply shocked” and added: “The first thing we want to do is express our deepest condolences to his family, CD Tenerife and all those close to him.
“We know that no words can ease this pain, but we want them to know that we are with them and that we deeply share their grief.”