FC Andorra defender Lautaro Spatz has shown support for teammate Jesús Owono, confirming he has been "deeply affected" by the death of Tenerife player Jesús de Miguel.
Owono collided with De Miguel in Monday's second division league game. De Miguel, 30, died in hospital on Tuesday morning.
Spatz, who was on the pitch when the collision happened, said on Instagram: "The entire FC Andorra squad has been in shock, devastated and deeply affected by what has happened. It is a tragedy that we could never have imagined experiencing on a football pitch.
"I would also like to say a few words about my teammate, goalkeeper and friend, who is deeply affected by what has happened.
"Those of us who know him are aware of the sort of person he is, how much he is suffering at this time, and that he would never have intended to harm anyone. In football, there are accidental incidents, but no one could have imagined that one of them could lead to such tragic consequences."
Spanish police said on Tuesday that an investigation had been opened, as under Spanish law, deaths from non-natural causes, including accidents, are subject to judicial investigation.
The Equatorial Guinea international, Owono, 25, received a wave of racist insults before his Instagram account was deactivated on Tuesday. Many have weighed in with reaction to the tragedy, including Mina Bonino, wife of Real Madrid captain Fede Valverde.
Bonino appealed to her one million followers on Instagram not to vilify Owono. She wrote: "There is no comfort or words to describe this moment. Sadly, his death could not be prevented, but as a society, we can take responsibility for preventing another tragedy. The goalkeeper [Jesús Owono] will have to bear the burden of his mistake for the rest of his life.
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"A reckless challenge that cost his opponent his life and may well ruin his own as well, but he is no murderer. It is not our place to judge someone who had no intention of killing.
"He will serve his punishment and bear the weight of social condemnation that will shape the rest of his life, but we still have time to stop this and prevent another death."
CD Tenerife's majority shareholder, Rayco García, said that the whole team will travel to the mainland to attend De Miguel's funeral on Thursday, which will be held at Navahermosa, Toledo.
García, who revealed that De Miguel's wife and their 16-month-old baby were at the Eliodoro stadium on Monday, told El Larguero: "The important thing now is for the players to say goodbye to their teammate and come to terms with what has happened. It's a tragic situation. There are things that some of our players shouldn't have had to witness. A football pitch is a place where you're meant to have a good time, and what we saw was anything but that.
"We're still in shock. The entire squad is going to the funeral, without exception. Then we'll return to Tenerife. The lads will have the day off to continue coming to terms with this terrible blow. And on Saturday, at the Heliodoro [stadium,] we plan to hold a lovely tribute in his memory.
"We want to start coming to terms with this as soon as possible and look to the future. We know that Jesús will be with us."