Panama defender Luis Moreno is set to be punished by the Colombian Football Association after the owl that he kicked off the pitch during a match between his club Deportivo Pereira and Atletico Junior died on Tuesday.

The Owl, which acts as a mascot for the Atletico Junior and lives in the stadium, was already injured after being struck by the match ball – causing the referee to halt the game.

Moreno then walked over to the bird and kicked it about three metres to get it off the pitch.

The owl suffered a fractured leg and was expected to recover, but veterinarians treating the bird said it died of respiratory arrest, most likely brought on by the stress of being handled excessively following the incident.

Fans of Atletico Junior shouted “murderer, murderer” in Moreno’s direction after the incident on Sunday.

Moreno said he did not know the bird was a good-luck charm for the opposition, and has expressed his regret. “I want to apologise to the fans,” Moreno said after the match. “I was not trying to hurt the owl. I did it to see if it would fly.”

Pereira club president Francisco Javier Lopez said the player would be punished and he could also face sanctions from Colombian football’s governing body.

“It made me very angry that he kicked the little animal,” said Atletico Junior player Luia Paez, who scored one of the goals in Atletico’s 2-1 victory. “It was already injured by being struck by the ball. I said a bunch of awful thing to Moreno. I was really angry.”

Animal welfare officials said no laws in Colombia exist against cruelty to animals.