Saburi Adeniji, a Nigerian footballer and left winger for Kings Park Rangers Football Club of Sudbury, Great Cornard, Suffolk, England, has died after battling a severe brain stem injury.
Kings Park Rangers, a non-league club competing in the Eastern Counties League Division One North, announced his death in a statement on Saturday.
The club said Adeniji, fondly known as Ola, passed away on Friday morning after holding on long enough for arrangements to be made for his family to travel to the United Kingdom.
“It is with great sadness that we must announce our number 17, Saburi Adeniji ‘Ola’, passed away yesterday morning,” the statement read.
“He fought so hard to still be here for when his family arrived. His wife and daughter, unfortunately, arrived this morning, a day late.”
The club described the late footballer as a devoted family man and a cherished member of the team.
“He will always be a King. He will always be loved, as a friend, a dad, a husband, a brother and a son,” the statement added.
Adeniji’s death comes weeks after the club publicly appealed for prayers and financial support following his admission to intensive care.
On January 17, Kings Park Rangers disclosed that the winger was bedridden and announced the suspension of all matches to enable the team support him.
“We are asking everyone to pray for our left winger, Saburi Adeniji (Ola). All Kings Park Rangers games will be on hold as we look to support him at his bedside until he is better,” the club said at the time.
As his condition deteriorated, the club endorsed a GoFundMe campaign organised by Joshua Pollard to raise funds to bring his wife and young daughter from Nigeria to the UK.
A statement published on the GoFundMe page revealed that Adeniji was admitted to intensive care on January 15, 2026, at Queen’s Hospital, Romford, East London, where doctors later confirmed the severity of his condition.
“Saburi was admitted to Intensive Care on 15 January 2026 and is under the care of the Critical Care Department at Queen’s Hospital,” the statement read.
“According to his consultant, his condition continued to deteriorate and he was considered to be imminently dying. Due to the severity of his injury, Saburi was medically classified as brain dead.”
The statement explained that changes in UK medical law delayed the withdrawal of life support pending further assessments, allowing a brief window for his family to travel.
“The hospital compassionately allowed a short window of time for Saburi’s family to be with him before he passed naturally on life support or before life support was withdrawn,” it added.
The fundraising campaign was launched to cover emergency visa processing, flights, accommodation and living expenses for his wife and daughter, who were based in Nigeria.
Adeniji is survived by his wife and their four-year-old daughter.
Beyond facilitating family reunification, the club said funds raised would also support his wife and help secure his daughter’s education and wellbeing.
“Saburi leaves behind a four-year-old daughter whom he adored. He worked tirelessly to provide for his family and was deeply committed to giving his daughter a good education and a better future,” the statement said.
Kings Park Rangers called on the football community to rally around the bereaved family, describing the loss as devastating.
“This is a moment for the football world to come together, players, clubs, teammates, supporters and friends,” the club said.
