Compassionate leave for grieving Cissé
Saturday, October 5, 2002
Article summary
Birmingham City FC's Aliou Cissé has flown to Senegal after nine members of his family died in a ferry disaster.
Article body
Birmingham City FC midfield player Aliou Cissé headed home to Senegal on Saturday after nine members of his family died in a ferry disaster last month, manager Steve Bruce announced.
World Cup captain
Cissé, who captained Senegal in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, played for the English Premiership club in their 2-1 win against West Ham United FC today, but left immediately after the game. Bruce said he would be allowed as long as he needed to try to come to terms with his loss. Nearly 1,000 people died when a state-owned ferry capsized off the coast of Gambia on 26 September.
‘A terrible personal tragedy’
Bruce told reporters: “It's a terrible personal tragedy for Aliou. We don't know the full details because of communication difficulties, but we do know nine members of his family died in the ferry disaster. He is flying back home this evening, and I don't know how long he will be away. When can I tell him to come back? However long it takes to get over something like this.”
‘This puts football in prespective’
Bruce, the former Manchester United FC defender, praised Cissé, saying: “Just to turn up and play today shows a massive commitment and great mental strength. He did not even tell us about it until yesterday when he was arranging his flights. We heard a rumour about it on Thursday but Aliou said he wanted to concentrate on this game. The whole thing certainly puts football into perspective.”
