Ex-Premier League defender Sol Bamba has tragically died at the age of 39 after falling ill, Turkish club Adanaspor have confirmed. Bamba was the head coach of the TFF First League side in what was his first senior role in management.
He was taken ill before their match away at Manisa FK on Friday and later passed away.
The club said in a statement: “Our technical director Souleymane Bamba, who fell ill before the Manisa Football Club match played yesterday, was taken to Manisa Celal Bayar University Hospital and unfortunately lost his battle for life there.
“Our condolences to his family and our community.”
Bamba was a popular figure at all of his previous clubs and captained both Leeds United and Cardiff City. He played in the Premier League for the Bluebirds in 2018-19 and spent five seasons with the Welsh outfit.
He also played for Paris Saint-Germain, Leicester City and Middlesbrough in an 18-year career that saw him make 423 first-team appearances.
The former centre-half had also started his coaching career at Cardiff as the assistant to ex-manager Sabri Lamouchi in 2023.
Ex-Ivory Coast international Bamba had been keen to take up management and only went over to Turkey to become the manager of second-tier side Adanaspor last month.
Bamba also spent time in the country as a player for Trabzonspor, who wrote on Saturday evening: “We have learned with deep sorrow the passing of Adanaspor Coach Sol Bamba, who wore our jersey between 2012-2014.
“May God have mercy on him and we offer our condolences to his family and all his loved ones.”
The Ivorian had previously battled cancer during his playing career. He was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in January 2021 and underwent a course of chemotherapy.
Bamba later said: “When you’re a sports person you like to think that you’re healthy and so when someone tells you that you have cancer it’s a big shock.
“I had my treatment in Wales and the NHS were very, very good – every one of them looked after me and my family and I couldn’t have asked for any more.
“It was a difficult time but everyone at Cardiff, but not just Cardiff because I was overwhelmed by the support that I had all around the world really and especially England.
“I had messages from strangers and that helped massively because it gives you the strength to try and beat it so it was very, very good for me and the family to receive that support from all around the world.
“All of my clubs were very good, even the clubs that I didn’t play for but my clubs were checking in regularly, sending messages and calling me.
“I was shocked because I didn’t realise that the football world could do that. I thought I was just someone who kicked a ball but when people found out the support I had was crazy.
“It helped me massively but the main support is your family – the missus, my mum and dad and the kids because it’s tough on them but they were strong for me and that helped me, definitely.”
Bamba eventually returned to the pitch in Cardiff’s final match of the 2020-21 season – a 1-1 draw with Rotherham. He retired as a player in the summer of 2022 after a single season at Boro and took up coaching.
