Bruno Metsu
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Bruno Jean Cornil Metsu[1] | ||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 28 January 1954 | ||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Coudekerque-Branche, France | ||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 15 October 2013[1] | (aged 59)||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Coudekerque-Branche, France | ||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Midfielder[2] | ||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
1969–1970 | Hazebrouck | ||||||||||||||||
1970–1973 | Anderlecht | ||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
1973–1974 | Dunkerque | 27 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
1974–1975 | Hazebrouck | 34 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
1975–1979 | Valenciennes | 119 | (13) | ||||||||||||||
1979–1981 | Lille | 57 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
1981–1983 | Nice | 64 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
1983–1984 |
Roubaix | 20 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
1984–1987 | Beauvais | ||||||||||||||||
Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
1987–1988 | Beauvais (youth team) | ||||||||||||||||
1988–1992 | Beauvais | ||||||||||||||||
1992–1993 | Lille | ||||||||||||||||
1993–1994 | Valenciennes | ||||||||||||||||
1995–1998 | Sedan | ||||||||||||||||
1998–1999 | Valence | ||||||||||||||||
2000 | Guinea | ||||||||||||||||
2000–2002 | Senegal | ||||||||||||||||
2002–2004 | Al Ain | ||||||||||||||||
2004–2006 |
Al-Gharafa | ||||||||||||||||
2006 |
Al-Ittihad | ||||||||||||||||
2006–2008 | United Arab Emirates | ||||||||||||||||
2008–2011 | Qatar | ||||||||||||||||
2011–2012 |
Al-Gharafa | ||||||||||||||||
2012 |
Al Wasl | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Bruno Jean Cornil Metsu (28 January 1954 – 15 October 2013)[1] was a French footballer and football manager. During his senior playing career from 1973 to 1987, he played for seven different clubs in France.
From 1988 until his death, he was the manager of a total of nine clubs in France and Persian Gulf region, the Guinea, Senegal, United Arab Emirates and Qatar national football teams. He was perhaps most famous for coaching Senegal to the quarter-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, including a surprise victory over defending champions France in the opening match of the tournament.
Football career
Playing career
Before embarking on his career as a footballer, the teenaged Metsu worked as a courier on the docks of Dunkirk.[3]
Metsu played as an attacking midfielder. His career as a youth and senior player with eight different clubs was largely based in his native France. He had a three-year spell as a youth player in Belgium with Anderlecht. During his 14 years as a senior player between 1973 and 1987, all with French clubs, he played 366 Division 1/Division 2 matches and 28 Coupe de France matches, scoring 30 and 2 goals in Division 1/Division 2 and Coupe de France matches, respectively. While at Lille, Metsu played 63 matches and scored 3 goals in all competitions. Metsu had his heyday at Valenciennes between 1975 and 1979, scoring his highest number of club goals, 14 (in 134 league - all of them Division 1 - and Coupe de France matches), while playing alongside top players such as Didier Six and Roger Milla. After Metsu had finished playing his first season (1984–85) for Beauvais, it won promotion to Division 2.[3][4]
Managerial career in France
Metsu spent over a decade as the manager of five different clubs in France before his first foray overseas as a football manager in the year 2000.
After retiring as a player with Beauvais in 1987, Metsu took up the youth team manager post with Beauvais in the same year. In 1988, he guided the Beauvais youth team to the runner-up position in the Coupe Gambardella. From 1988 to 1992, he was the manager of Beauvais's senior team, which was in Division 2 throughout his tenure there. In the 1988–1989 season, it reached the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France for the first time in its history, where it lost to Auxerre 2–1 on aggregate.[3]
Metsu was appointed the manager of the Division 1 club Lille at the age of 38 on 1 July 1992. He was sacked on 28 February 1993 after it had managed to win just 5 of its first 27 Division 1 matches in the current season, the board summoning him to a meeting and inquiring: "So have you heard the gossip? We are letting you go." It was a crass way to sack a manager, especially one who prided himself on the strong bonds he formed in dressing rooms.[3]
Metsu was appointed the manager of Valenciennes at the darkest point in that club's history, immediately after its relegation to Division 2 following the conclusion of the 1992–93 Division 1 season and in the wake of the discovery that some of its players had accepted bribes to throw a Division 1 match against Olympique de Marseille that was held on 20 May 1993. He lasted a year there, then had spells at Sedan (1995–1998) and Valence (1998–1999) before, he applied successfully to become the manager of the Guinea national football team.[3]
Managerial career in Africa
Guinea
In the year 2000, Metsu became the manager of a national team for the first time when he took charge of the
Senegal
After Metsu had settled in Senegal in the year 2000 to become the manager of the
Metsu immediately began fostering the esprit de corps that would fuel his Senegal side, recalling several players whom the
Metsu guided Senegal to seal a spot in the
Metsu's team drew their remaining Group A matches with Denmark (1–1) and Uruguay (3–3). Senegal finished Group A in second position and thus qualified for the
After Senegal had defeated France in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup finals, Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade declared a national holiday. When the Senegal national football team returned to Dakar following their exit from the 2002 World Cup finals, they were given a heroes' welcome. Metsu's connection to the country had been sealed when he married a Muslim by the name of Rokhaya 'Daba' Ndiaye, one day after he had converted from Christianity to Islam in Senegal. She changed her name to Viviane Dièye Metsu after the marriage. After his conversion to Islam, he called himself Abdulkarim Metsu and a fair part of the Senegalese press addressed him as Abdulkarim.[8][9][10][11][12]
Metsu was mostly described in Senegal as a coach who inculcated the culture of courage and relentlessness in the Lions of Teranga, which subsequently influenced the junior ranks and the nation's club sides. Metsu brought a new spirit that inspired the nation's football and aroused young talent to see themselves as giants anywhere.[4]
Metsu left his post as the manager of the Senegal national team in 2002, at the height of differences with the country's football officials. When asked if he was leaving the continent a frustrated man he replied, "No, never! I learnt life here. I honed my skills as a coach here. I made a name here and pushed the doors open to the wide world."[4]
Managerial career in the Persian Gulf region
Al Ain
Metsu's success with Senegal led him to the
Al-Gharafa (first spell)
In 2005, Metsu coached his new club to the
Al-Ittihad
Next up for Metsu was a brief stint in 2006 in
United Arab Emirates
Metsu returned to the UAE as the
The UAE crashed out of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup after finishing third in a group containing Japan, regional rivals Qatar and co-hosts Vietnam with one win and two losses; especially shocking was the 0-2 loss in the opening match to Vietnam. Despite his contract lasting until 2010, Metsu resigned from his post on 22 September 2008 after the UAE suffered defeats in their first two matches of the 2010 World Cup qualification - AFC fourth round Group B.[13] Metsu's overall record with the UAE was 13 wins (11 official), 9 draws (3 official) and 20 losses (8 official) in 42 matches (22 official), scoring 47 goals and conceding 59.[13]
Qatar
On 25 September 2008, Metsu returned to Qatar, accepting a job as manager of the Qatar national team. The country hosted the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in January 2011. In the latter tournament, Qatar finished second in their group with two wins and a defeat before it was beaten 3–2 by Japan in the quarter-finals on 21 January 2011, resulting in Metsu's sacking in February 2011.[14]
Al-Gharafa (second spell)
Metsu did not have to wait long for a new job. He was appointed the manager of
Al Wasl
Metsu was contacted by the
Death and funeral
In October 2012, three months after replacing
Tributes were paid by athletes, politicians and other sporting figures including football manager Claude Le Roy,[21] French minister of sports Valérie Fourneyron,[22] Senegal striker Souleymane Camara[23] and Senegalese President Macky Sall.[23]
On 18 October 2013, the French city of Dunkirk organised a public ceremony to honor Metsu's memory. It was held around Metsu's coffin at the Salle Pierre Delaporte inside the Stade des Flandres and was attended by about 400 people, including Metsu's widow and sister, Senegal's ambassador to France and the Mayor of Dunkirk.[24]
On 21 October 2013, Metsu was given an Islamic funeral in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. His widow Viviane, their three children, Senegalese president Macky Sall, Senegalese National Assembly president Moustapha Niasse, and several notable Senegalese footballers such as El Hadji Diouf, Khalilou Fadiga, Aliou Cissé, and Ferdinand Coly were among those who attended the funeral held at a Dakar hospital – l'Hôpital Principal de Dakar. Metsu's coffin was draped in the Senegalese flag and the green flag of Islam. During the funeral, Sall described Metsu as "a model of humanity and virtue" and a "hero among Senegalese heroes". Metsu was later buried in the Muslim cemetery of Yoff.[25][26]
Honours as a manager
Club
Al-Ain
Al-Gharafa
- Qatar Stars League: 2004–05
- Sheikh Jassem Cup: 2005–06
- Qatar Crown Prince Cup: 2011
- Emir of Qatar Cup runner-up: 2006, 2011
International
Senegal
- 2002
United Arab Emirates
- 2007
References
- ^ a b c "Fichier des décès – années 2010 à 2018" [Death file – years 2010 to 2018] (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Bruno Metsu". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Bruno Metsu: the man who inspired Senegal and all of Africa in 2002". The Guardian. 16 October 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Bruno Metsu will always be a hero in Africa". www.goal.com. 16 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Bruno Metsu, 59, Dies; Led Senegal at World Cup". The New York Times. 16 October 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "Bruno Metsu". capital-balls.com.
- ^ "Senegal press blasts Metsu". BBC Sport. 24 June 2002.
- ^ "Party time in Dakar". BBC Sport. 11 June 2002.
- ^ "Life with the Senegalese team". the Guardian. 9 June 2002.
- ^ "Local hero Metsu remains confident". FIFA.com. 1 August 2008. Archived from the original on 7 August 2008.
- ^ "Senegal return to heroes' welcome". BBC Sport. 26 June 2002.
- ^ "Imam Abdou Salam Thioye: " Bruno Metsu était un musulman, c'est moi qui l'ai converti "". Senego. 17 October 2013. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013.
- ^ a b Journeyman makes his move, again
- ^ "Bruno Metsu: Qatar Fires Coach in Politically Motivated Move". bleacherreport.com.
- ^ "Tehran Times". 14 March 2011.
- ^ a b "Metsu sacked from Al Gharafa post". soccerway.com.
- ^ "UAE former coach Bruno Metsu dies of cancer". gulfnews.com. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
- ^ "Bruno Metsu, le sélectionneur du Sénégal en 2002, meurt à 59". www.20minutes.fr. 15 October 2013.
- ^ "Bruno Metsu : L'espoir d'un cancéreux en phase terminale". www.purepeople.com. 31 July 2013.
- ^ "Je comprends maintenant pourquoi mon père aime tant ce pays. Trois questions à... Rémy Metsu, fils aîné de Bruno Metsu". www.seneplus.com. 22 October 2013.
- ^ "Bruno Metsu, former Senegal coach, dies of cancer at the age of 59". The Guardian. 15 October 2013.
- ^ "Bruno Metsu, who took Senegal to the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup, dies". The Independent. 15 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Former Senegal coach Bruno Metsu dies at 59". Yahoo Sports and AP. 15 October 2013.
- ^ "Dunkerque : dernier hommage à Bruno Metsu". FranceTV3 Nord Pas-de-Calais. 18 October 2013.
- ^ "Metsu burial takes place in Senegal". BBC Sport. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
- ^ "Le Sénégal rend hommage à Bruno Metsu, "héros parmi les héros sénégalais"". Libération. 21 October 2013.
External links
- Bruno Metsu at FootballDatabase.eu