Organizers of the late Otunba Isiaka Adeleke Memorial Cup Competition, an annual grassroots Football Competition put in place in memory of the first civilian Governor of Osun State, mourned the demise of one of its players who passed while playing on the field.
In heartfelt message on Friday, the Chairman Organising Committee, Hezekiah Bamiji emphasised that the team was saddened about the loss because all efforts to rescue the young lad proved abortive.
He added that the well-being of all players has always been the sponsor and other team members’ top priority, from the beginning of the competition till the final match day, by partnering with emergency services and medical practitioners so as to ensure total safety of everyone involved.
The Chairman, however, prayed that God almighty would grant his immediate family fortitude to bear the huge loss.
The statement reads,
Organizers of the late Otunba Isiaka Adeleke Memorial Cup Competition, an annual grassroots Football Competition put in place in memory of the first civilian Governor of Osun State, deeply commiserates with the family of one of the players representing Ilesa West Football Team, Adeyemi Adewale, who died after he slumped while playing for his team on Thursday, 16th of January, the final day of the competition.
The competition which entered its 5th edition this year had always taken the well-being of our players as a topmost priority, partnering with ambulance and emergency services of the state, aside from other medical practitioners ensuring the health and safety of not only the players but all stakeholders and partners as a frontline grassroots football tournament in the state.
We are however saddened that all efforts to rescue Adewale Adeyemi after he suddenly slumped on the pitch, at about the 84th minute of the 3rd place match between Ilesa West Local Government and Ejigbo Local Government football teams, proved abortive. He was promptly attended to by the medical team on the ground at the venue of the match, after which he was rushed in the ambulance stationed at the match venue to the nearby Uniosun Teaching Hospital where he was declared dead by the hospital’s medical doctors.
Maicon, as popularly called by his teammates, was one of the leading lights at the just-ended edition of the competition, and we are too devastated to lose such a promising talent.
The organizers of the late Otunba Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke Memorial Cup again express deep sadness at this unfortunate incident. We pray God Almighty to grant his immediate family, the Osun State Grassroots Football Coaches Council, his teammates at Ilesa West Local Government, friends and all of us touched by the sudden death of Adeyemi Adewale, ‘Maicon'”
