Saburi Adeniji, a Nigerian footballer and left winger for Kings Park Rangers Football Club of Sudbury, at Great Cornard, Suffolk, England, has died after battling a severe brain stem injury.
The football club is a non-league side competing in the Eastern Counties League Division One North.
Nigerian footballer Saburi Adeniji during his time at the club before his demise. Photo Credit: Facebook/ Kings Park Rangers FC
In a Saturday statement announcing his death, the club said Adeniji, popularly known as Ola, passed away on Friday morning, noting that he held on until after arrangements were 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.
“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 said.
The club described the late footballer as a devoted family man and a valued member of the team.
“He will always be a King. He will always be loved. As a friend, as a dad, as a husband, as a brother and as a son,” the statement added.
Adeniji’s death comes weeks after Kings Park Rangers had appealed publicly for prayers and financial support following his admission into intensive care.
On January 17, the club disclosed that the winger was bedridden, announcing that all matches would be put on hold to allow 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 stated.
As his condition worsened, the club endorsed a GoFundMe campaign created by Joshua Pollard to raise funds to bring his wife and young daughter from Nigeria to the UK.
In a detailed statement published on the GoFundMe website, it was revealed that Adeniji was admitted into intensive care on January 15, 2026, at Queen’s Hospital, Romford, East London, where doctors later confirmed the severity of his condition.