Former Senegal coach loses cancer battle

By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

As the World Cup play-off round first legs in Africa took place over the course of the past four days, sad news came through of the death of the former Senegal manager Bruno Metsu.

The French coach lost his lengthy battle with cancer which he had been fighting since last year on Tuesday. He had told the French newspaper L’Equipe in July that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The 59-year-old (pictured) had been involved in football for over 40 years, spending 14 years as a player before taking his first job in management in 1988. He had modest success in the French league with clubs including Lille, Sedan and Valenciennes. It was in international management where he made his name though and especially in 2002.

After a short tenure with Guinea, Metsu took over the Senegal national team in 2000 and guided them to their most successful period in the game. They reached the 2002 African Cup of Nations final before succumbing to Cameroon and qualified for their first World Cup finals which were held in Japan and Korea.

Senegal were drawn alongside defending champions France, Uruguay and Denmark and played Les Bleus in the first game of the tournament. They stunned the footballing world with a shock 1-0 victory over the French with Papa Boupa Diop scoring the only goal after half an hour.

It was a Senegal side that attracted the neutral to support them throughout the competition in the Land of the Rising Sun. The world saw the likes of Salif Diao, Khaliou Fadiga and El-Hadji Diouf first make their mark on the game as Senegal escaped the group stages with two other score draws with the Danes and the Uruguayans.

Henri Camara’s double beat Sweden on the unpopular golden goal rule in the last 16, as Senegal took their place in the last eight. They had become the first African side to reach the World Cup quarter-finals since Cameroon in Italia 90. Sadly their journey ended at this hurdle, as they were beaten by Turkey in extra time, also on the golden goal rule.

Metsu’s place in Senegal’s football history was secure though. On Tuesday, president of the Senegal Football Federation Augustin Senghor paid tribute, saying: “It’s a great loss for Senegal. Bruno Metsu not only marked Senegalese football but the entire history of Senegal.”

While Senegal’s impact on the World Cup stage is unlikely to stretch into 2014 with the team trailing the Ivory Coast 3-1 from the first leg of their play-off match, Metsu continued to shine in the Middle East. He guided Al Ain to the Asian Champions League in its inaugural season a year after his Senegal heroics and also managed the national teams of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. His last job was with Al Wasl FC as he replaced the great Argentine Diego Maradona in July 2012. However he stepped down just three months into this post due to his declining health.

Bruno Metsu was a well-respected and much-travelled coach and his loss is a sad one to football in the Middle East and especially in Africa. He is survived by his wife and their three children.