Manchester City have questions to answer for the death of Jeremy Wisten, an 18-year-old English footballer who killed himself after the club released him.
An inquest into the circumstances surrounding his death was held on Monday, November 8, and the Manchester court was told that the youngster felt he didn’t get the “right support” from Manchester City when he was kicked out of the club.
Jeremy Wisten’s relationship with Manchester City started when he was 13-year-old. The club signed him because he was a promising defender who the club thought would be a household name at the club.
Jeremy Wisten joined the club with the hope that he could become like Vincent Kompany, the former captain of Manchester City who is regarded as one of the best defenders to ever play for City.
Unfortunately for Jeremy Wisten, he sustained a knee injury which made his development a bit more difficult. He suffered from the injury between January and June 2018.
After failing to play for five months due to the injury, Manchester City decided to part ways with him in December 2018.
During that period, Jeremy Wisten was barely 16-year-old and it was said to be difficult for him that his dream of being a football star had crumbled.
According to the testimony of his father, Manila, Jeremy Wisten tried to find another club after City released him but could not do so for over one year. The late footballer blamed his inability to find another club on his knee injury and the failure of Manchester City to support him.
He reportedly struggled with the harsh reality until he decided to kill himself when he was 18-year-old. He was found dead at his family home in Manchester on October 24, 2020.
“I find that on the balance of probabilities that Jeremy took his own life and intended to do so,” Manchester Area Coroner Zak Golombeck said during an inquest to the death of the late youngster.
But his father argued that despite the son’s failure to get another club after Manchester City released him, he was not capable of killing himself. He however admitted that the reality of not being able to pursue his dream was hard on the late youngster.
His father also revealed that the late footballer had applied for university where he intended to study forensic science before his untimely death.
“He was always happy as a child and had been for his whole life”, Manila said.
“He was a born athlete who was always very sporty and competitive. He always wanted to come first in everything he did.
“Football became everything to him. He would kick the ball around the house and would never give anything less than his best. He would succeed in everything he did.
“After the injury, nothing was the same. It didn’t stop him fully in his tracks but he was in so much pain.
“I had to remind him that some things in life cannot be controlled. I kept encouraging him to be strong.
“It was hard for him but he always retained his love for football.”
Contrary to the argument that Manchester City released Jeremy Wisten because of his knee injury, City’s academy director, Jason Wilcox told the inquest that the youngster was not released because of the injury.
When the coroner asked the academy director how Jeremy reacted when he was told that he was being released, Wilcox said: “He was very quiet, very non-emotional at the time.
“All the boys react differently when they are given the news.
“They feel at that moment that their career is over, and it is certainly not. It’s the start of a new journey for them.”
At the time of publishing this report, it was not clear what the consequences would be for Manchester City if the inquest implicates the club for the death of the youngster. The inquest has been adjourned until a yet-to-be-announced date.
In memory of former Man City academy player Jeremy Wisten and the late, great Nobby Stiles.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 30, 2020
You will be missed. pic.twitter.com/hsuUEfTLLt
