Tenerife's pitch protocol did not allow ambulance entry during medical emergency

Tenerife's stadium protocol did not allow the ambulance to enter the pitch during Jesús de Miguel's medical emergency, contrary to FIFA guidelines that recommend ambulance access in cases of suspected spinal injury or cardiac arrest.

Jesús de Miguel, a forward, died four days ago after a collision with Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono at Tenerife's Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium. He suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest and died the following day in hospital.

Sports consultant Ramón Jesús González has raised questions about the stadium's emergency protocol. According to reports, the stadium's procedure required the player to be transported by stretcher to an ambulance stationed outside near the dressing rooms, rather than bringing the ambulance onto the pitch. The ambulance only enters the field if doctors activate an absolute immobilization protocol, which was not activated that night.

However, FIFA's Emergency Response Manual is explicit on this point: in cases of severe impact with a player on the ground, cervical spine protection must be immediate, and if cardiac arrest occurs, the player must be transported immobilized on a spinal stretcher with a defibrillator as a single unit without interrupting resuscitation for more than ten seconds. The manual also states that whenever possible, it is preferable for the ambulance to enter the pitch. González emphasizes that this was precisely the scenario in which Tenerife's own protocol should have allowed ambulance access.