Report: Former FC Cincinnati star dies at 28

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Former FC Cincinnati forward Aaron Boupendza is dead after falling from the eleventh-floor of his apartment building in China, according to Turkiye Today, a Turkish news group.

The report says Chinese police have launched an investigation into his death, treating the case as suspicious.

Boupendza’s brother was in the apartment when the soccer star fell and the two were allegedly in an argument at the time, Turkiye Today reports. His brother will be taken in for questioning.

Boupendza, 28, from Gabon, currently plays for Chinese Super League club Zhejiang FC.

According to the report, Boupendza missed his team’s most recent training session without notifying anyone. Zhejiang FC officials said they were unable to contact him before knowing about his death.

The Gabonaise Football Federation released a statement on the player’s death. FOX19 NOW has done a rough translation from French to English.

FC Cincinnati officials also released the following statement on the player’s death.

Aaron Boupendza’s time at FC Cincinnati

Although Boupendza played for FC Cincinnati for only two years, he played a pivotal role for the team’s offense.

He was signed to FCC in June 2023 as a striker via the Designated Player deal until 2025 with options to stay in 2026 and 2027.

Within his first six starts during the regular season, he scored five goals, later helping Cincinnati win the Eastern Conference and Supporter’s Shield during the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. He played four games with two starts, and scored one goal with one assist.

In 2024, Boupendza played 14 matches and started five of them, scoring two goals and obtaining one assist during the regular season.

That season came to an end for him following several controversial incidents.

On Aug. 8, Major League Soccer terminated Boupendza’s contract effective immediately. According to our media partners at the Cincinnati Enquirer, Boupendza did not “fulfill his contractual obligations.”

In January, the Enquirer reported Boupendza was involved in a blackmail attempt. An unknown group had stolen the player’s phone in January and threatened to leak an alleged sex tape. It was reported that Boupendza did not pay them.

Following that incident, the former FCC player broke his jaw off the field in April, which would cost him 6-8 weeks of recovery.

The Enquirer reported that a professional boxer was the one who broke Boupendza’s jaw at an establishment in downtown Cincinnati.

It is unknown whether these events contributed to his contract being terminated.

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