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RIP Akeem
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Twenty-two year old former two-time World Youth Cup defender Akeem Adams who suffered a massive heart attack three months ago while plying his trade with Hungarian Club Ferencvaros TC has passed away today.

According to TTFA Media man Shaun Fuentes who reported that: "Akeem’s uncle Ivan Dick and local representative Dion Sosa confirmed that Akeem left us at 12:45pm TT time.

“He went on his own. This was God’s call. He is at peace now. We wish to thank all of those who offered their support to Akeem and his family. He touched us all in so many ways,” said Dick.

TTFA President Raymond Tim Kee, in an immediate statement after receiving the dreadful news, said: “No words can fully express our grief and dismay on what has happened.

We can only pass on all our thoughts and prayers to his family and hope they will get some strength from the outpouring of love and support from everyone over this period going back to the time that he suffered the heart attack some months ago."

On behalf of the Soca Warriors Online (SWO) we would like to extend our deepest condolence to the Adams's family. May God rest his soul in peace.

RELATED NEWS

Tributes as Adams dies in Hungary.
T&T Guardian Reports.


Akeem Adams, the 22-year old former national defender died yesterday at 12.45 pm, at the Varomajori Heart Clinic in Budapest, Hungary. Adams’ local representative Dion Sosa, advised that Adams’ mother Ancilla, decided against taking her son off a life support system following initial reports of a decision to take that step earlier in the day.

“He went on his own. This was God’s call. He is at peace now. We wish to thank all of those who offered their support to Akeem and his family. He touched us all in so many ways,” said Ivan Dick, Adams’ uncle.

Adams suffered a massive heart attack three months ago and underwent four operations at the Varomajori Heart Clinic. He had a mechanical heart inserted, while his left leg from below the knee was amputated in September.

Minister of Sport, Anil Roberts, in extending condolences to the family, noted it was always difficult when a parent loses a son or daughter. “It was especially difficult in this case since this was a proud young man who was taken at the prime of his career.

“As a father, I cannot begin to imagine the grief and despair his family is feeling. Akeem was a talented young man who dedicated his life and career to the sport he loved. He stood as an example to many on how to fully utilise all the gifts and talents bestowed on him by the Creator.

He even faced his final challenge with an optimistic spirit and kept the fight to the end. The people of T&T lost one of their talented sons but I have no doubt that his legacy will live on in our hearts and minds.”

The Football Association also extended condolences to Akeem’s family and friends. President Raymond Tim Kee said: “No words can fully express our grief and dismay on what has happened. We can only pass on all our thoughts and prayers to his family and hope they will get some strength from the outpouring of love and support from everyone over this period going back to the time that he suffered the heart attack some months ago.

“Everyone in our football fraternity is deeply affected by this. Not only was he a promising and dedicated footballer, but he was also a fine young man,” Tim Kee said. Adams was born April 13, 1991.

He entered the national program at the Under 13 level in 2004 on a squad of players prepared for the Caribbean Under 15 Championships. He later became an integral part of the National Under 17 team that defeated Jamaica at the CONCACAF qualifiers in Kingston to qualify for the 2007 FIFA Under 17 World Cup in South Korea. 

Adams played in that World Cup and two years helped the National Under 20 team book a place in the 2009 Under 20 World Cup in Egypt where he also made appearances at FIFA’s second biggest world tournament.

His progress was consistent and he made his senior international debut  on March 19, 2008 against El Salvador as a 16-year-old at the Marvin Lee Stadium. He played his final international match on January 22, 2011 against Finland at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

Adams made nine international appearances before joining Hungarian football club Ferencvárosi TC which was his final team up to the time of his passing.

Akeem passes away; Warrior dies unassisted in Budapest
By Lasana Liburd (Wired868)


Akeem Adams, a former Trinidad and Tobago and Ferencvaros football player, passed away at roughly 12.45 pm (TT time) today at the Varosmajori Heart Clinic in Budapest after failing to recover from a massive heart attack in late September.

Adams had received a mechanical heart in the first of at least four operations after the initial attack and hoped to survive long enough for a successful heart transplant. But a severe stroke on Saturday night caused bleeding to his brain and proved too much for him.

This morning, doctors at the clinic advised Adams’ mother, Ancilla Dick, and his brother, Akini Adams, to pull the plug on his life support. Dick initially agreed but, in a dramatic about-turn, changed her mind after discussing the matter with Akini.

 “She and Akini spoke about it and decided that they would leave it in God’s hands for a bit longer,” the source told Wired868. “They are praying for a miracle.”

But Adams’ time was up and he passed away a few hours later.

His death was unassisted.

Adams would have turned 23 on 13 April 2014.

“The doctors said that medical cases like this are like an earthquake,” said a source close to Adams. “There is always the aftershock; after the heart attack comes the stroke. They were hoping it would be a minor one or that he would have gotten the heart (transplant) and be strong enough to deal with it. 

“But, unfortunately, they couldn’t do anything when it came.”

Adams had waged a three-month battle in Budapest without a natural heart. Between the night of September 24 and the morning of September 25, the former Presentation College (San Fernando) student suffered a massive heart attack at his apartment in Budapest. He had only been in Budapest for seven weeks since he signed for Ferencvaros, which is one of Hungary’s most successful football clubs.

Ferencvaros handled all Adams’ medical expenses and paid to have Dick and his brother, Akini Adams, flown to his bedside. The pair arrived from Point Fortin on September 28 and it was considered a minor miracle that they were in time to meet Adams alive.

The Trinidadian, who was fitted with a mechanical heart, fought on through at least four operations and an amputation below his left knee and seemed on the cusp of receiving a heart transplant.

Specialists at the Clinic felt his notable improvement suggested that he would be strong enough to survive a transplant by early December. But this did not materialise and, on Boxing Day, Adams told relatives in Trinidad that he was given a new date of 4 February 2014 for the operation.

Former Ferencvaros coach Ricardo Moniz, who was sacked earlier this month after becoming embroiled with a war of words with the club over Adams, told the former two-time World Youth Cup player that he should take his coaching badges after he recovers and he would always have a job on his coaching staff wherever that might be.

Local Pro League club Central FC had also explored the possibility of offering employment for Adams within its administrative staff.

But there was always a significant chance that Adams would not live long enough for either posting. Even if he did get the transplant, the chance of him surviving for another year was less than 50 percent.

An informed source told Wired868 that doctors had withheld information from the family to keep Adams’ mother and brother as upbeat and optimistic as possible when they interacted with the young patient. Medical science was always battling against the odds in this case.

Despite concerns in some quarters about the medical care given to Adams and doubts as to the player’s fitness when he joined Ferencvaros, there is no evidence that the tragedy could have been avoided or that tell-tale signs were missed by either party.

Adams’ father and grandfather died in their early 50s and late 30s respectively from strokes. But the left back passed thorough medical examinations before representing Trinidad and Tobago at the 2007 Under-17 and 2009 Under-20 World Cups while doctors had only identified a minor thigh strain before he joined Ferencvaros.

His move to Hungary had been a dream come true.

Adams first came to national prominence when former Trinidad and Tobago coach Francisco Maturana, who is one of Colombia and South America’s iconic coaches, selected the 16-year-old Presentation student for an international friendly against El Salvador on 19 March 2008.

There were howls of outrage at the time about a schoolboy, who was not even a first-team player with his then club W Connection, being selected ahead of professional players. But Adams silenced critics by his second outing after a sterling performance in a 2-2 draw away to Jamaica and he was among a group of players that received a honorary reception for their efforts by then TTFF special advisor and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner.

An ill-timed injury stalled his senior career and, although he went on to represent his country at the 2009 World Youth Cup in Egypt, his local career did not quite live up to his early promise.

The death of his father Renwick Adams in 2010 was a tough blow for the young man and some coaches found him hard to reach in the aftermath. Adams was left out of Trinidad and Tobago’s Olympic team in 2012 and, early this year, was released by Central.

Adams was happy to settle for a return to the Pro League alongside his brother with their hometown club, Point Fortin Civic, when his local agent, Dion Sosa, got him a series of trials in Europe.

Top Netherlands club, PSV Eidhoven, was said to be impressed by Adams but felt he lacked the fitness to go straight into its first team squad. But Ferencvaros snapped him up on August 7.

Just three days after Adams joined the club and despite a thigh strain that needed roughly two weeks treatment, the Trinidadian was thrown straight into the starting team and his inclusion coincided with a surge up the standings. Ferencvaros won five of the six League games that Adams played in and surged to second spot; its coach, Moniz, was given an improved contract and the Warrior became a fan favorite.

Present national senior team coach Stephen Hart considered calling up Adams in to represent his country at the OSN Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia but then decided to give him more time to settle in with his new employer. Adams was due to rejoin the Warriors when they hosted New Zealand on October 15.

But then came the tragic heart attack.

In Ferencvaros’ next eight games, it lost three and drew four while, ironically, its only win came when the club arranged a pre-kick off tribute to the fallen Warrior.

Trinidad and Tobago’s friendly against New Zealand, which should have been Adams return to the red, black and white strip, became a fund-raising effort for him instead.

And, earlier this month, Ferencvaros sacked its Portugal-born coach Moniz, who had grown close to Adams and visited him daily at the Clinic.

Adams made it to Christmas but did not get much further before he suffered another debilitating blow.

This morning, doctors asked his mother and brother to say their goodbyes and pull the plug on a remarkable young man. Instead, they opted to leave the situation up to God.

And, just after lunch, God recalled Adams.

“He went on his own; this was God’s call,” said Adams’ uncle, Ivan Dick, in a statement to the TTFA. “He is at peace now. We wish to thank all of those who offered their support to Akeem and his family. He touched us all in so many ways.”

Ambassador Akeem: The young Warrior who unified two nations
By Kevin Harrison (Wired868)


It is very rare for a single human being to unite two totally diverse nations; even temporarily.

Politicians try to do it by creating complicated trading partnerships that largely exist outside the day-to-day existence of its citizens. Royal families tried in the past by marrying their children to form international alliances, which, as in the case of Britain and Germany, sometimes failed spectacularly.

Yet one 22-year-old man from Trinidad and Tobago has accomplished just that. For I guarantee that if you ever travel to Budapest in Hungary, as soon as you announce your nationality you will be greeted by the words “Akeem Adams.”

Such is the power of sport. But the game of football on its own is not enough. As they say, it’s how you play the game that matters. And Akeem did not just play the game well but with a smile on his face.

By all accounts, the supporters of his club, Ferencvaros, took to Akeem immediately. He was no “token black man” in a very white society; the Hungarian club already had several black footballers in its squad.

For those of us who knew Akeem, he was a pleasant, laid back young man; a very good athlete with the potential to be a regular senior international player. His personality endeared him to the people of Budapest and that showed in their reaction to his plight.

People queued to give blood, they purchased tee-shirts and they held vigils at Ferencvaros’ games. The Hungarian media sites carried regular updates and prayers for Akeem and I was personally kept posted by the club and its supporters’ association.

It is safe to say that in Hungary, Akeem was much loved.

I cannot imagine the grief that Akeem’s family is currently enduring but, to them, I say: Be proud.

Not just because Akeem was a wonderful human being; or because he was a gifted footballer. But because he was one of the best ambassadors that Trinidad and Tobago ever produced.

I mean no disrespect but, to many people in Europe, Dwight Yorke is from the Caribbean, Brian Lara is from the West Indies and Nikki Minaj is from America. But Akeem Adams? Boy, he’s from Trinidad and Tobago.

And there will always be a tiny part of the great, ancient city of Budapest that will forever be emotionally linked to Trinidad and Tobago because of Akeem Adams.

How many politicians would love such an epitaph?

If you ever travel to Budapest, tell them you’re from Trinidad and Tobago. I guarantee you will receive a warm welcome in honour of Akeem Adams. 

Tribute to Akeem Adams

Ivan Dick, uncle of Akeem Adams:

“He went on his own. This was God’s call. He is at peace now. We wish to thank all of those who offered their support to Akeem and his family. He touched us all in so many ways.” 

Ferencvárosi Torna Club statement:

“The Fradi crowd, well-known for its criticism, took Akeem quickly in; he became one of their favourite players. He earned both the supporters’ and professionals’ credit for his tough but clear play. He was solid, serene and played in the spirit of fair play.

“Akeem Adams became an appreciated member of Ferencvárosi Torna Club, who in the future will remember him as a role-model for his serenity, humility and steadfast play.

The Fradi-family will never forget You, Akeem Adams! Rest in peace.”

Rudi Thomas, TTFA executive member:

“I join the rest of Trinidad and Tobago in saying farewell to Akeem and may his final rest with his maker be gratifying… He came from a noted Point Fortin football family—the Dicks. His uncles played on teams I served on as manager of Trintoc Football Club and one of them was a Civic Centre goalkeeper.

“I was more closely involved with him in his earlier years; he being a product of the SFA Youth Development Programme, which is our Centre For Excellence. He was always destined for great things, but He knows best. Rest In Peace, Akeem.”

Raymond Tim Kee, TTFA president:

“No words can fully express our grief and dismay on what has happened. We can only pass on all our thoughts and prayers to his family and hope they will get some strength from the outpouring of love and support from everyone over this period going back to the time that he suffered the heart attack some months ago.

“Everyone in our football fraternity is deeply affected by this. Not only was he a promising and dedicated footballer, but he was also a fine young man.”