Dacky Mbor, pioneer of Guinea’s national team, dies at 92

The Guinea Football Federation (FGF) has announced the death of Dacky Mbor, the first captain in the history of the country’s national football team.

Mbor died in Conakry on Friday at the age of 92, the federation said in an official statement.

He will be remembered permanently as the inaugural captain of the Syli National, which was formed two years after Guinea gained independence in 1958. His appointment to the role came after a vote, in which he was preferred to former vice-captain Aboubacar Barate Camara.

Mbor had previously spoken about how he received the captain’s armband. His account was later reported by Sport News Africa.

The former captain was also a two-time winner of the PDG Cup, a competition named after Guinea’s single ruling party at the time.

His career included one of the most striking episodes in the early history of Guinean international football. After the national side lost to Liberia, Mbor and his team-mates were imprisoned for several days on the orders of the sports minister at the time, Toumany Sangare.

That incident formed part of a remarkable football journey that began during the formative years of the Guinean national team. Mbor’s status as its first captain linked him directly to the emergence of the Syli National following independence, while his later honours established him as one of the notable figures of the country’s early football history.

The FGF’s announcement has prompted tributes to a player whose name is permanently associated with the national team’s beginnings. His death closes the life of the man who first wore the captain’s armband for Guinea, a role he secured through a vote against Aboubacar Barate Camara.

Afrik-Foot offered its condolences to Mbor’s family and to the wider Guinean football community.

The federation did not provide further details in its announcement beyond confirming that Mbor had died in Conakry on Friday. His age at the time of his death was 92.