The death of Nigerian-born player, Saburi Olayinka Adeniji has led to the postponement of his English club’s league match that had initially been scheduled to take place this weekend, Sports247 reports.
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The non-league club, Kings Park Rangers formally decided to call off their match after hearing about the death of Adeniji last Friday, following several days of coma in a hospital.
Adeniji was admitted to the hospital on January 15th, after suffering a severe brain stem injury, then passed away after spending almost a month on life support and his funeral took place at the start of this week.
Kings Park Rangers said they were in mourning, hence their decision to postpone the game to honour Adeniji, whose wife and daughter were hurriedly flown in from Nigeria but could not meet him before his passing.
The lowly club, which competes in England’s Eastern Counties First Division North, a step 10 league, set up a GoFundMe donations’ page before Adeniji’s death, to help support his family.
The club’s statement read: “We have taken the decision that this weekend’s fixture will not take place following the burial of one of our players, Saburi Adeniji this week.
“The league were formally notified on 6 February that, due to this tragic loss, we would not be able to fulfil any fixtures over the weekend. Football, at this moment, comes second.
“This is an incredibly emotional time for everyone connected to the club. Our priority must be the mental wellbeing and emotional welfare of our players and volunteers.”
