The Organizers of the late Otunba Isiaka Adeleke Memorial Cup, an annual grassroot 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.
According to the statement issued by the Chairman organising committee, Hezekiah Oladele Bamiji on Friday, The competition which entered its 5th edition this year, had always taken the wellbeing of our players as a topmost priority, partnering with ambulance and emergency services of the state, aside other medical practitioners ensuring health safety of not only the players, but all stakeholders and partners as a frontline grassroot football tournament in the state.
The statement further reads, “We are however saddened that all efforts to rescue Adewale Adeyemi after he suddenly slumped on the pitch, at about 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 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'”, the statement ended.
