Southampton FC and Royal Antwerp announced the death of former academy player Victor Udoh, 21. Both clubs expressed deep shock and sent condolences to his family and friends.
Pierre Dwomoh, a former teammate, said he woke up to the news on Tuesday morning and at first could not believe it was true until he read the message properly.
Udoh’s career crossed three countries in a little over two years. Royal Antwerp signed him in 2023, aged 18, from Abuja-based club Hypebuzz. He played 27 times for Antwerp’s Young Reds, scoring 12 goals, and made his first-team debut the same season in the home match against Charleroi. Antwerp records list 28 official first-team appearances and two assists before he moved on.
In February 2025 Udoh joined Southampton on a three-and-a-half-year contract and went straight into the academy. He featured in eight Premier League 2 matches for Southampton’s under-21 side and scored two goals during six months with the club. Udoh left Southampton by mutual consent in September after seven months in search of regular first-team football and subsequently signed for Czech second-tier side Ceske Budejovice; he never made a senior appearance for Southampton.
Both clubs released short statements mourning Udoh’s death. Southampton said the club was devastated and that “the thoughts of everyone at the club go out to Victor’s loved ones at this extremely difficult time.” Royal Antwerp said it had learned of his passing with great dismay and extended wishes of strength and support to his family, friends and loved ones.
Details about how and where Udoh died remain unclear. A tabloid report said the death reportedly occurred under suspicious circumstances, and a Belgian outlet reported he was found dead in Abuja, Nigeria. Pierre Dwomoh told reporters some of Udoh’s relatives had confirmed his death, but neither club offered further information about cause or location.
The gap between the clubs’ formal announcements and the contemporaneous news reports is the immediate source of friction. Clubs have limited their comment to condolences; outside reports raise questions about the circumstances and where Udoh was at the time, while family confirmations cited by Dwomoh have not been expanded into official detail. That leaves basic facts — how he died and why — unverified in public statements.
Dwomoh, who said he had been in contact with Udoh in recent days, added that Udoh had been looking for a new club over the summer and had told him he was working hard in Nigeria. Dwomoh said he had invited Udoh to a training camp he planned alongside a holiday and had discussed travel plans only days earlier. For now, teammates, former coaches and two clubs are left to mourn a 21-year-old whose progress through Antwerp’s and Southampton’s youth systems had promised more playing time ahead.
