French soccer coach Bruno Metsu, best known for leading Senegal into the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup, has died from cancer at the age of 59, friends said yesterday.
“He died overnight at 3:30am,” Herve Beddeleem, the executive director of BCM Gravelines-Dunkirk basketball club said, confirming a report in La Voix du Nord newspaper.
“I am shattered by this news. Bruno had everything to be happy — an exemplary professional career, money, a happy marriage and children, and then this cancer takes him away. It’s just incredible,” he said.
Photo: AFP
Metsu stood down as coach of Dubai first division side Al Wasl last year due to health reasons.
He subsequently told L’Equipe newspaper in July that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
“I underwent medical tests and the guy announces to me afterward that I had terminal cancer. ‘You have cancer of the colon, the liver and the lungs.’ They gave me three months to live, It was such a shock,” he said.
Instantly recognizable on the touchline with his dapper suits and long hair, Metsu caused a sensation at the 2002 World Cup when his Senegal team defeated reigning champions France in the opening match.
The Lions of Teranga went on to reach the quarter-finals where they lost 1-0 to Turkey.
Just months ahead of the World Cup, Metsu also guided Senegal to their only appearance in the final of the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations where they were beaten on penalties by Cameroon.
“It’s a great loss for Senegal, Bruno Metsu not only marked Senegalese football, but the entire history of Senegal,” Senegalese Football Federation president Augustin Senghor said.
After his successful spell in charge of Senegal, Metsu went on to coach several clubs and nations in the Gulf region, notably winning the Gulf Cup with the United Arab Emirates in 2007.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
Mathys Tel was hero and villain as Tottenham drew 1-1 at home to Leeds United on Monday — a result that leaves their English Premier League future hanging in the balance. The Frenchman broke the deadlock early in the second half to ease the tension at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but then gave away a penalty with a reckless attempted clearance. In the dying minutes, Spurs were grateful to Antonin Kinsky, who produced an astonishing save to deny the visitors a win. Tottenham are now two points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United with just two games left this season. The
‘DONE IT ALL’: LeBron James is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season as a free agent with uncertainty swirling around his future LeBron James on Monday said he would take time to consider his future after the Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the NBA playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder in what could turn out to be the final game of his career. James, 41, delivered a typically defiant performance with 24 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to prevent the Lakers from falling 115-110 as the Thunder completed a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference semi-finals series. The four-time NBA champion is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season
FRUSTRATION: Gauff smacked herself on the head with her racket before storming down the tunnel, emerging afterward to have a heated discussion with her coach Elina Svitolina on Saturday won the Italian Open after beating Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 to claim her third Rome title, while Jannik Sinner set a date with Casper Ruud in the men’s final. Ukraine’s Svitolina had not claimed a WTA 1000 title since her last victory at the Foro Italico eight years ago, but prevailed over the ever-erratic Gauff to claim her 20th tournament triumph. Saturday’s win over Gauff was her third in a row against a player in the top four of the world rankings — including Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina — ahead of the French
RSS