All Premier Division matches are off this weekend as the football community prepares to pay its last respects to former national team player Osagi Bascome, who was murdered a month ago.

The postponements, announced yesterday by the Bermuda Football Association, are a combination of players and officials intending to attend Bascome’s funeral service at St George’s Cricket Club, tomorrow, and positive Covid tests within some teams which had forced previous matches to be called off.

Two of this weekend’s matches were postponed days earlier, the St George’s and Somerset match because of the funeral, and the Devonshire Cougars versus X-Roads match because of Covid cases earlier reported in the Cougars team.

Bascome, 23, was killed on December 18, just six days after playing his final match for St George’s Colts when he scored twice in the 3-0 win over Southampton Rangers.

The memorial service for the midfielder will be held tomorrow at St George’s Cricket Club starting at 1pm.

As a result of the service the First Division match scheduled for Wellington Oval between Wolves and BAA, which was initially intended as a venue switch, is now off along with the Premier Division matches.

Andrew Bascome, the BAA head coach, is the uncle of Osagi.

Kyle Lightbourne, the national coach, said Bermuda has lost a valuable member of its team with both his skills and his personality.

“I can say that Osagi enjoyed being the life and soul of the team, a free-spirited person,” said Lightbourne who was in Birmingham, England while on vacation when he received the phone call of Bascome’s passing.

“Since being in charge of the national team I had seen his development.

“He always had a smile on his face and I don’t think there was a player who disliked him.

“It’s very disappointing to lose a player like that with so much potential. It’s heartbreaking, he was such a nice guy, loved by everyone. He will be missed for sure”

Lightbourne remembers first coaching Bascome in the under-20 team before he stepped up to the senior side along with the likes of Liam Evans, Tevahn Tyrrell and Jahquil Hill.

At that Concacaf Under-20 championships in Costa Rica, Lightbourne named Bascome as one of the joint captains of the team.

“I was in England when it happened and to get the news like that knocked me back,” Lightbourne added.

“I’m sure every team-mate of his was in the exact same situation.

“I was looking forward to him coming back from injury and getting himself in shape. That was the last conversation I had with him.

“I wish his family all the best, I did a tribute to him that someone will read out on behalf of the senior men’s national team.”

n Three First Division matches remain on this weekend, with St David’s taking on Ireland Rangers today at Lord’s at 12.30pm.

Promotion contenders Young Men’s Social Club and Hamilton Parish will battle at Police Field and Vasco will meet Boulevard at Southampton Oval in tomorrow’s two matches.

Hamilton Parish lead the division by five points over BAA and will extend that lead with a victory over Social Club who are third, six points behind the leaders.

Parish dropped their first points recently with a 2-2 draw with BAA on January 2, with BAA then moving into second place three days later with a 2-0 win over Wolves.