Controversy is brewing at the lowly leagues in England, as Kings Park Rangers are facing sanctions for opting out of their recent fixtures to mourn their Nigerian-born player, Saburi Olayinka Adeniji, Sports247 reports.
While many observers praised Kings Park Rangers for seeking postponements of their league fixtures to properly mourn Saburi, the football authorities think otherwise and want to take action.
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Consequently, his team now face punishment for not raising a side while grieving over their loss of Adeniji, who died earlier this month after suffering a serious brain injury.
An outpouring of grief hit the Essex side after Adeniji died before his wife and four-year-old daughter could arrive on a sponsored flight back from their holiday in Nigeria.
They could not make it to his bedside before he passed away in hospital, where the youngster had been in intensive care since January 15, after suffering a severe brain stem injury.
Kings Park raised over £17,000 for the family, while the local community also rallied round in mourning and the club, who play in England’s Eastern Counties Division One North, did not play their recent games, while grieving.
They are now facing punishment by the league’s organizing body and Kings Park Rangers admitted it is a strict organisational matter.
The club disclosed in a media statement, “Having spoken to the league, we can confirm that, due to rules and regulations around the safety and integrity of the competition, we will initially be charged for not raising a side.
“We will be submitting an appeal and hope the league will make the right decision to allow us the time this weekend to grieve. For now, the situation is out of our hands and we’ll keep everyone updated.”
