OBITUARY: THE REMAINS OF BRUNO METSU ARRIVE IN SENEGAL

The late Bruno Metsu, former coach of the Senegal national football team, will be laid to rest in Dakar. His body is expected to arrive in the Senegalese capital in the coming hours, as reported by the iGFM Agency. Metsu passed away on the night of Monday to Tuesday in Dunkirk, France, after battling triple cancer of the colon, liver, and lung.

Claude Le Roy, deeply affected by Metsu’s death, stated that “precise information will be given in the coming hours,” according to the same source.

A year ago, in October 2012, Bruno Metsu left his coaching position at the Emirati club Al-Wasl due to health reasons, having been diagnosed with triple cancer. Despite facing a challenging illness, Metsu remained positive and fought against cancer. He expressed his determination to win the battle, saying, “Today, yes, I am gambling with my life. I’m at halftime and I want to win it before extra time. Even though the shock was terrible, I always remained positive. I’m not giving up,” in an interview published by L’Equipe.

Images of Metsu’s diminished health saddened Senegalese football fans, who remembered him as the coach who led the national team to the final of the 2002 CAN in Mali and the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan. His historic victory over France, the reigning world champion, in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup remains a memorable achievement.

Bruno Metsu, at 59, leaves behind a widow (Viviane, Senegalese) and three children. Despite his passing, he remains a legend in Senegal, and as a famous African proverb goes, “A lion never dies, it sleeps.”