Grapevine

Ex-EPL defender, Sol Bamba, dies at 39

The former defender, known for his stints with Leeds United, Cardiff City, and Leicester City, had been battling Non-Hodgkin lymphoma since 2020.

Bamba, who also represented the Ivory Coast national team, was serving as the technical director of Turkish side, Adanaspor, at the time of his death.

The club announced the news in a statement on X, stating, “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.”

The former Cardiff City, Leeds, and Leicester defender had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare form of cancer, on Christmas Eve in 2020.

Although he was believed to be in remission, Turkish outlet Hurriyet reported that he “fell ill before the Manisa FK match due to a relapse of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.”