Latest news with #Boupendza
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
28-year-old former MLS player dies after falling from 11th floor balcony in China
Former MLS and Gabon forward Aaron Boupendza has died aged 28 following a fall from the 11th floor of a building in China, local authorities confirmed. The striker, who played for FC Cincinnati and Romanian club Rapid București, joined Chinese Super League side Zhejiang FC earlier this year. The Hangzhou Public Security Bureau confirmed that officials responded to the player's rental residence after receiving reports from the public of someone falling from a building at 1:14 p.m. local time on Wednesday. 'Our bureau quickly organized police forces to deal with the situation, and immediately sent the injured to the hospital for treatment. The injured was later declared dead in the hospital,' the bureau said in a statement posted on its official Weibo page, confirming Boupendza's identity. 'After on-site investigation, visits and interviews of relevant parties by public security officers, and checking surveillance videos, it was found that he died after falling from the balcony of his rental residence, and a criminal case was ruled out,' the authorities confirmed. Zhejiang FC said in a statement that it was 'fully cooperating with the relevant departments to carry out the investigation.' 'All the staff of the club express their deepest condolences to his family,' the club added. FEGAFOOT paid homage to the striker in a statement posted on X on Wednesday: 'Aged 28, Boupendza will be remembered as a great striker, who left a lasting impression at the AFCON in Cameroon. 'FEGAFOOT and the entire Gabonese soccer community offer their sincere condolences to his family in this difficult time,' the statement concluded. Interim Gabon president Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema said on X: 'It is with great sadness that I learned of the tragic passing of Aaron Boupendza, a talented center forward who brought honor to Gabonese football. I offer my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. May God bless his soul.'
CNN
17-04-2025
- Sport
- CNN
28-year-old former MLS player dies after falling from 11th floor balcony in China
Former MLS and Gabon forward Aaron Boupendza has died aged 28 following a fall from the 11th floor of a building in China, local authorities confirmed. The striker, who played for FC Cincinnati and Romanian club Rapid București, joined Chinese Super League side Zhejiang FC earlier this year. The Hangzhou Public Security Bureau confirmed that officials responded to the player's rental residence after receiving reports from the public of someone falling from a building at 1:14 p.m. local time on Wednesday. 'Our bureau quickly organized police forces to deal with the situation, and immediately sent the injured to the hospital for treatment. The injured was later declared dead in the hospital,' the bureau said in a statement posted on its official Weibo page, confirming Boupendza's identity. 'After on-site investigation, visits and interviews of relevant parties by public security officers, and checking surveillance videos, it was found that he died after falling from the balcony of his rental residence, and a criminal case was ruled out,' the authorities confirmed. Zhejiang FC said in a statement that it was 'fully cooperating with the relevant departments to carry out the investigation.' 'All the staff of the club express their deepest condolences to his family,' the club added. FEGAFOOT paid homage to the striker in a statement posted on X on Wednesday: 'Aged 28, Boupendza will be remembered as a great striker, who left a lasting impression at the AFCON in Cameroon. 'FEGAFOOT and the entire Gabonese soccer community offer their sincere condolences to his family in this difficult time,' the statement concluded. Interim Gabon president Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema said on X: 'It is with great sadness that I learned of the tragic passing of Aaron Boupendza, a talented center forward who brought honor to Gabonese football. I offer my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. May God bless his soul.'
BBC News
17-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Gabon forward Boupendza dies aged 28 in China
Gabon international Aaron Boupendza has died at the age of 28 after reportedly falling from a building in China. The forward featured for his country at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Cameroon and won a total of 35 caps for the Panthers. He had joined Chinese club Zhejiang FC, based in the city of Hangzhou, from Romanian outfit Rapid Bucharest in January. Boupendza began his career in his homeland with CF Mounana and went on to have spells with sides in France, Portugal, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Gabon's football federation (Fegafoot) announced the news of his death on social media. "Boupendza is remembered as a great striker who made his mark during the [Afcon] in Cameroon," the statement said. "Fegafoot and the Gabonese football family offer their sincere condolences to his family." Gabon's president-elect Gen Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema was among those to pay tribute to Boupendza, describing him as "a talented centre-forward who brought honour to Gabonese football".
South China Morning Post
17-04-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Fans voice anger as China club plays hours after Gabon striker Aaron Boupendza's death
Football fans in China were outraged by Zhejiang FC's decision to go ahead with a league match hours after the death of their Gabon international striker, Aaron Boupendza. Advertisement Police have ruled out foul play in the death of the 28-year-old, who died after falling from the 11th floor of a building in the eastern city of Hangzhou on Wednesday afternoon. Boupendza's Hangzhou-based club went ahead with a home Chinese Super League fixture later on Wednesday against Meizhou Hakka, sparking grief and anger from fans. 'Shouldn't this match have been postponed?' one user wrote on the X-like social media platform Weibo. Another posted on WeChat: 'Why didn't they postpone the match? The Chinese Super League is really very amateur.' Advertisement The match, which ended 2-2, was played in a sombre atmosphere with none of the club's other foreign players taking the field.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Anger as China club plays hours after striker Boupendza's death
Football fans in China were outraged by Zhejiang FC's decision to go ahead with a league match hours after the death of their Gabon international striker Aaron Boupendza. Police have ruled out foul play in the death of the 28-year-old, who died after falling from the 11th floor of a building in the eastern city of Hangzhou on Wednesday afternoon. Boupendza's Hangzhou-based club went ahead with a home Chinese Super League fixture later on Wednesday against Meizhou Hakka, sparking grief and anger from fans. "Shouldn't this match have been postponed?" one user wrote on the X-like social media platform Weibo. "Why didn't they postpone the match? The Chinese Super League is really very amateur," another posted on WeChat. The match, which ended 2-2, was played in a sombre atmosphere with none of the club's other foreign players taking the field. Fans chanted Boupendza's name, held up his shirt and lit up phone torches and after the final whistle Zhejiang's players and staff approached fans in an act of collective mourning. Zhejiang's emotional captain Cheng Jin struggled to answer questions before cutting short his post-match TV interview. "I'm sorry, it's not that I don't respect you. I don't have anything I really want to say," he said. Zhejiang's Spanish head coach Raul Caneda Perez said that there was "nothing to say about the game" at his post-match press conference "Today is not for talking about football," he said, through an interpreter. "Football should not be discussed in this context." Hangzhou police confirmed Boupendza's death and said they had been called to an incident at 1:14 pm on Wednesday. Police said they "ruled out a criminal case" after investigations which included conducting interviews and reviewing video footage. Boupendza was taken to hospital, but efforts to revive him failed, the police added. Zhejiang FC released a statement on Boupendza's death after the match and said they were "fully cooperating with the relevant authorities to carry out the investigation". "All the club's staff send their deepest condolences to his family." The Chinese Football Association is yet to comment. Gabon's national football association, who announced Wednesday that Boupendza had died in a statement on X, said: "Aged 28, Boupendza leaves us with the memory of a great striker." Gabonese president-elect Brice Oligui Nguema also took to X to add his condolences. "It is with immense sadness that I learn of the tragic death of Aaron Boupendza, a talented centre-forward who brought honour to Gabonese football," he posted. sam/oho/dh
