Diop, Tataw, Sidy Diallo, these icons of African football have passed away in 2020
From left to right: Senegalese Papa Bouba Diop, Cameroonian Stephen Tataw, Ivorian Augustin Sidy Diallo © PATRICK HERTZOG / AFP - David Cannon / ALLSPORT - ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP
Text by: Tom Rossi Follow
6 min
Stephen Tataw, Cameroon's emblematic captain at the 1990 World Cup, Papa Bouba Diop Senegalese first scorer at the 2002 World Cup, Augustin Sidy Diallo Ivorian football boss when the “Elephants” won at CAN 2015, Amr Fahmy former Secretary General and candidate for the presidency of CAF, died in this year 2020.
Publicity
Read more
Stephen Tataw, Eternal Captain
After Louis M'Fédé in June 2013 and
Benjamin Massing
in December 2017, a third Cameroonian hero of the 1990 World Cup died, on July 31, “
as a result of an illness
”, at the age of 57.
Stephen Tataw
was the captain of the “
Indomitable Lions
” which advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
A historic first for an African selection.
With Stephen Tataw, Roger Milla or François Omam-Biyik, Cameroon notably beats the title holder Argentina during the opening match of this World Cup which will end against England at the gates of the semi-finals.
Diego Maradona, also deceased this year,
had also wanted to pay tribute to Stephen Tataw
whom he had therefore faced during this World Cup.
Stephen Tataw, in the center between François Omam Biyick and Roger Milla, on July 1, 1990 after Cameroon's elimination against England in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Italy.
Georges Gobert / AFP
Papa Bouba Diop, forever the first
In 2002, twelve after the feat of Cameroon, another African selection managed to reach the quarter-finals of a World Cup: Senegal.
An equally exciting team, also victorious against the defending champion in the opening match.
The Senegalese won against the France team (1-0) thanks to an achievement by
Papa Bouba Diop
, first scorer in the history of the "
Lions of Téranga
" in the World Cup, who left us on November 29 after a long illness, at 42 years old.
Papa Bouba Diop, former midfielder of RC Lens had scored three goals during this World Cup in Japan and South Korea which stopped against Turkey.
He is still today the Senegalese top scorer in the World Cup (three achievements).
For El Hadji Diouf
, his former teammate, Papa Bouba Diop was a “
fighting brother
”, “
someone who was keen to work for his native Senegal and native Africa
”.
Papa Bouba Diop in the 2002 World Cup quarter-final lost to Turkey (0-1), June 22, in Osaka, Japan Bongarts / Getty Images - Martin Rose
Augustin Sidy Diallo, "
a great president
"
He was at the head of the Ivorian federation when the “
Elephants
” won the second African Cup of Nations in their history,
in 2015
, after 23 years of famine.
Augustin Sidy Diallo
, Ivorian football boss from 2011 to 2020, was swept away by the Covid-19 on November 21.
“He
was a real enthusiast, a great man, a great president.
He has done a lot of good for Ivorian and African football
, ”said Patrice Beaumelle, current coach of Côte d'Ivoire and assistant during the 2015 coronation.
Augustin Sidy Diallo, who was not a candidate for a new mandate at the head of the FIF, had also received a tribute from Didier Drogba who is seeking this post: "
The Ivorian, African and world football family has just lost one of his sons.
Thank you for any President, very few will understand, but rest in peace.
"
The electoral process is also still at a standstill.
Amr Fahmy, whistleblower
Like him, his grandfather and his father had held the post of Secretary General of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Egyptian Amr Fahmy
, who died on February 23 of cancer at the age of 36, was head of the administration of the instance from 2017 to 2019, and dreamed of becoming president of CAF in 2021. He had announced that he was a candidate with this slogan: "
Because Africa deserves better
".
Egyptian Amr Fahmy.
Courtesy of CAF
This great supporter of Al Ahly SC wanted to run for the post following his dismissal on April 11, 2019 for "
professional misconduct
".
Amr Fahmy had been dismissed for having assembled a case against Ahmad sent to the Ethics Committee of the International Football Federation (FIFA), in which he accused the president of CAF of corruption, in particular.
FIFA has since suspended Ahmad for five years
.
They also passed away in 2020
South African international defender Motjeka Madisha
died on December 13 in a car accident, aged just 25.
A tragic death occurred twenty days after that of his teammate in the "
Bafana Bafana
" Anele Ngcongca, in similar circumstances.
Algerian Saïd Amara
, a former player in the National Liberation Front selection in the 1960s, died on August 2 at the age of 87.
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Sports
Soccer
Senegal
Cameroon
Ivory Coast