Grieving Rangers defiant over Ola ‘charge’

By Robin Jones

GRIEF: Popular Adeniji

Grieving King’s Park Rangers may be charged for their refusal to play yesterday’s Eastern Counties Division One North fixture at Framlingham Town following the tragic death of Saburi Olayinka Adeniji.

Popular player Adeniji, 22, died last weekend after suffering a severe brain stem injury on January 15.

Rangers, managed by former Premier League striker Jamie Cureton, launched a GoFundMe appeal to fly ‘Ola’s’ wife and four-year-old daughter from Nigeria to be at his hospital bedside, but he passed away a day before they arrived.

Following his funeral this week, Rangers notified the league that they would be in no fit, emotional state to fulfil their fixture against the Castlemen this weekend, but posted on X that following communication with the Eastern Counties League, they had been notified that the fixture “must still be played”.

A club statement read: “Having spoken to the league, we can confirm that we will initially be charged for not raising a side,” the Rangers statement read.

“We will be submitting an appeal and hope the league will make the right decision to allow us the time to grieve.”

League chairman Peter Hutchings said that a decision as to whether to charge the club or not for failing to fulfil the fixture would be taken at the next meeting of the management committee in a fortnight’s time.

“We are not unsympathetic but we have to act within the league rules,” he said.