Police in Cape Town, South Africa, have opened an investigation into the death of football player Jayden Adams, whose body was found shortly after he returned from North America, where he played in the FIFA World Cup.
The 25-year-old midfielder on South Africa’s national team was found dead at a home in the Schotsche Kloof neighbourhood of Cape Town. The South African Football Players Union confirmed his death on Saturday. The cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Played Through Personal Tragedy at the Tournament
Adams started two of the three World Cup matches he appeared in for South Africa, despite the death of his grandmother, Marianna, just one day before the team’s 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic. He started in that match, as well as in South Africa’s 2-0 loss to Mexico in the tournament opener. He came on as a substitute in a 1-0 win over South Korea, and was an unused substitute when South Africa was eliminated by Canada on June 28.
Family “Struggling to Process” the Loss
Speaking on Sunday, Adams’s father, Juanito Adams, told South African news service eNCA that the family was finding it difficult to come to terms with his son’s death, adding that while people say the pain eases with time, “you just learn to live with it.” He said the outpouring of reaction from around the world reflected the love people had for Jayden and his football.
A moment of silence was held in his honour before the World Cup quarterfinal between England and Norway on Saturday.
Tributes Pour In
South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, paid tribute to Adams, praising the humility and appreciation he showed even in difficult moments. McKenzie said Adams’s decision to wear the national jersey and give his all for his country so soon after his grandmother’s passing reflected a maturity and professionalism beyond his years, describing it as a mark of the calibre of young man South Africa has lost.
