CHARLOTTE, N.C. — News that one of Charlotte FC’s own had died spread quickly on Thursday morning, and teammates, supporters and organizations across the soccer world were quick to respond with messages of love.
“Heartbroken,” Jaylin Lindsey, a Charlotte FC midfielder, wrote on Twitter. “Fly high my brother, you’re the best teammate I could’ve asked for. Love you man.”
The Queen City club announced just before 8:30 a.m. on Thursday that Anton Walkes had been killed in a boating accident in South Florida, where the team was spending the first phase of its preseason. Walkes, 25, had spent the entire 2022 season with Charlotte FC and was preparing to do the same in 2023.
Hector Cortes, one of Charlotte FC’s most passionate fans who has followed the club since its inception, told the Charlotte Observer in a phone interview that he learned of the “devastating news” early this morning. He said he and fellow fans will remember Walkes for his unrelenting energy and positive spirit.
“It doesn’t matter if we lost or won, he was always full of energy, just happy to play the game he loved,” said Cortes, who can be spotted at all Charlotte FC home matches wearing a Mexican flag as a cape and a large custom-made Charlotte FC sombrero. “It was awesome. You never saw him sad because we lost. He was always cheering everybody up. And that’s a very good trait for a player. And from a fan perspective, we can see that.”
Walkes was a graduate of Tottenham Hotspur Academy and later played for MLS teams Atlanta and Charlotte, which selected Walkes in the 2021 expansion draft. Cortes said that fans quickly gravitated to the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Englishman — a defender who, in many ways throughout the course of 2022, became a Charlotte FC back-line bastion of consistency and strength.
“The fans were very welcoming of him,” Cortes said. “He was always supporting our players.”
A vigil was planned for 4 p.m. Thursday at the East Gate of Bank of America Stadium to honor Walkes’ life, per a Twitter account run by Charlotte FC’s supporters groups.
“Members of Mint City Collective are truly saddened by the news of Anton’s passing,” supporters group Mint City Collective sent to the Observer in a statement. “He was a bright light on and off the pitch, and we will miss him. We are sending all our love and thoughts to Anton’s family in this tough time.”
Charlotte FC owner David Tepper said in a statement that Walkes was a “tremendous son, father, partner and teammate whose joyous approach to life touched everyone he met.” Charlotte FC sporting director Zoran Krneta said the impact Walkes made on the young club “and throughout Charlotte will never be forgotten.”
Bank of America Stadium’s jumbotron illuminated a picture of a smiling Walkes on Thursday afternoon, and video boards that line the stadium read “Anton Walkes, 1997-2023.”
“Absolutely heartbroken,” midfielder Brandt Bronico wrote on Twitter. “Thanks for being such a great teammate, friend, leader, and person. Rest easy, brother.”
Said forward Karol Świderski: “Rest in peace brother, forever in our hearts.”
Thursday’s news quickly spread beyond Charlotte, including to his old club, Tottenham Hotspur.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our former player, Anton Walkes,” the club said in a statement on Twitter. “As a mark of respect, our first team will wear black armbands at this evening’s Premier League match against Manchester City, with all our Academy sides to wear black armbands this weekend.”
