Mourning a Soccer Player

“Jambo was never too proud to do anything”

On Sunday, the 33-year-old took the field for SPG Stahl Linz-Ebelsberg for the last time.(Bild: SPG Stahl Linz/Ebelsberg)

Deep sorrow in the lower soccer league over the death of a 33-year-old man from Linz. When Jambo’s coworkers couldn’t reach him, police checked his apartment and found him lying lifeless in his bed. His club is launching a fundraising campaign for his surviving son (8) and wife.

“Jambo gave his all for Ebelsberg for 16 years. Now we, the people of Ebelsberg, want to give our all for Jambo one last time.” Following the sudden death of 33-year-old Jean Jocelyn Matemb—widely known as “Jambo” in Linz’s lower-division soccer circles—his home club is in a state of deep shock.

The Most Loyal Player in Club History
“He came to Upper Austria 16 years ago, showed up at our doorstep, and just wanted to play soccer. He’s never played for another club since then. For us, Jambo is one of the most influential and loyal players in the club’s history. No player has played more games for Ebelsberg,” recalls Roman Jansenberger, head of the soccer division at ASKÖ Ebelsberg, thinking back to their first meetings.

Jambo (No. 15) was always there for his team; now the team is helping his family.(Bild: SPG Stahl Linz/Ebelsberg)

Teammates alerted the police
As recently as Sunday, the 33-year-old played the full 90 minutes for SPG Stahl Linz-Ebelsberg’s 1b team. “After the game, we talked—everything was completely normal,” Jansenberger explains. But on Tuesday, the Cameroonian native—who had since become an Austrian citizen—didn’t show up for work at a furniture warehouse in St. Florian.

Jambo was one of us for 16 years. Now it’s up to us to be there for his family and his son.

Roman Jansenberger, Sektionsleiter Fußball ASKÖ Ebelsberg

Since that wasn’t like the responsible Linz native, his coworkers tried to reach him several times. When they couldn’t get through to him, they called the police. The officers had the door to his apartment in Linz opened and made the horrific discovery in the bedroom.

All proceeds will be donated
Jambo lay lifeless in his bed. There are no indications of foul play; rather, it appears to have been a natural death for the athletic young man. “He wasn’t just a soccer player on our team—he was our brother. Jambo was never too proud to do anything and was always in a good mood,” said Jansenberger. His greatest pride was his eight-year-old son, who lives with his wife in Cameroon.

Donation Account

ASKÖ Ebelsberg Donation Account

IBAN: AT69 3422 6803 0000 5991

Reference: Jambo

“He scrimped and saved and sent everything he earned to his family so they could have a better life,” his friends recalled. Now the soccer family wants to help. At Saturday’s home game, all proceeds from ticket sales, food, and drinks will be donated. In addition, a donation account has been set up for Jambo’s family.