Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel's death prompts urgent call to scrap referee permission rule

Physiotherapist Antonio Perez has issued an urgent plea for football to change the rule requiring medical staff to wait for a referee’s permission before entering the pitch, following the death of Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel on Tuesday.

De Miguel died from what a preliminary autopsy described as accidental chest trauma after colliding with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono in the 97th minute of their match. Owono rushed from his area to clear the ball and struck the striker forcefully in the chest. The goalkeeper was sent off, and De Miguel received on-pitch treatment before suffering a cardiac arrest. He was taken by ambulance to Hospital Universitario de Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria, where doctors initially stabilised his condition, but he died the following morning. The match was abandoned, and the Royal Spanish Football Federation suspended all fixtures until Friday.

Perez, who was involved in the case, took to social media to offer his condolences to De Miguel’s family and to highlight what he believes is a critical flaw in football’s emergency protocols. In a video, he pointed to the delay between the collision and the arrival of medical staff.

“There is a rule in football that needs to change: as a professional, as a medical practitioner, I should be able to step in at the slightest sign of concern,” Perez said. “More than 10 seconds pass from the moment of the unfortunate collision until medical staff arrive. This is because the referee chooses to issue a red card before attending to the player. The more time that passes, the lower the likelihood of recovery.”

Perez drew a direct contrast with rugby, where he has worked for the past two years. “In rugby, if I see a potentially serious incident on the field, I can go straight onto the pitch without needing anyone’s permission,” he said. “In football, the referee has to notice the situation and initiate the protocol.”

He also noted that the problem extends beyond the top divisions, where camera coverage is extensive. In lower tiers, he argued, the absence of multiple camera angles makes the referee’s role as the sole gatekeeper for medical access even more consequential.

“As a physiotherapist or doctor in football, I should be able to enter the pitch the moment I suspect something is wrong,” Perez said, adding that the issue applies not only to cardiac events but also to concussions and other serious head injuries.

De Miguel’s death has reignited a debate about player welfare protocols that has surfaced repeatedly in football following high-profile on-pitch medical emergencies in recent years.