A Panamanian footballer has landed himself in hot water by kicking an owl on the pitch in an incident which eventually led to the death of the unfortunate bird.

The owl landed on the pitch in an encounter between home side Junior Barranquilla and Pereira and was struck by the ball near the corner flag.

As the owl lay prostrate on the turf, Pereira player Luis Moreno walked up to it and kicked it a distance of around three metres.

Moreno’s actions did not go down well with the Junior Barranquilla supporters, who booed him and began chanting ‘Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!’ The owl is a good luck charm for the Barranquilla supporters and lives in the stadium.

It was not only the supporters who were enraged by Moreno’s actions. After the incident, he was confronted by a number of Junior Barranquilla players.

“I was so angry he hit the little animal, especially after it had already been hit by the ball," Junior striker Luis Paez told El Heraldo newspaper.

“I told him a bunch of rude things, I really felt enraged.”

Moreno left the stadium under heavy police escort after his side lost 2-1 and later apologised for his actions.

“I apologise to the fans, it wasn't my intention, I did it to see if the owl could fly,” said Moreno.

The owl, which was treated at the Zoosalud veterinary clinic in Barranquilla following the incident, passed away of a respiratory failure early on Tuesday morning.

Animal rights groups were enraged by the incident and demanded that action be taken against Moreno, while judicial authorities announced on Monday that they will press charges against the player.

Current animal protection laws in Columbia allow the player to be jailed for "one to three months and be fined between 5,000 to 50,000 pesos (€1.90 and €18.90).