Senegal Coach Aliou Cisse Remembers Joola Ferry Tragedy Which Claimed 11 Members of His Family, 1 800 Others

• Senegal coach Aliou Cisse has opened up about a devastating tragedy that happened in his past
• Eleven members of his family drowned in the terrible Joola ferry boat disaster of 2002
• The tragedy happened months after Cisse had become a household name, having starred in Senegal's memorable 2002 FIFA World Cup run in South Korea and Japan

The date of 26 September 2002 will stand as one of the darkest in Senegal and Africa's history.

Nearly 2 000 people drowned after the Senegalese ferry MV Le Joola capsized and sank off the coast of Gambia. The ship had been overloaded by over 1 800 people, with its capacity meant to be around 570 seafarers.

Current Senegal coach Aliou Cisse, who was a star in the national team at the time, lost 11 family members, as was reported by The Guardian.

Arsene Wenger at pains to explain Liverpool's dip in form this season

Football

He was playing for Birmingham in the Premier League, having played an integral part in the Lions of Teranga reaching the Africa Cup of Nations final in Mali that year.

Most famously, he was key in Senegal's legendary run to the quarter-finals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Speaking about the tragedy 20 years, Cisse said to BBC Africa:

“This tragedy is not only personal, it is collective. You have to remember there were all layers of Senegalese society on that boat. In reality, the whole region was decimated. Everyone in the city of Ziguinchor had one, or two, or even ten family members who were left in that shipwreck.

Cisse explained that his family needed him and his presence in the days to follow, so he could not show them weakness.

Jurgen Klopp sends message to his Liverpool defence ahead of Champions League clash

Football

"In fact, as soon as we played the game (for Birmingham City), I went straight to Dakar to see my family. It’s true that these are moments that we will never forget. And this is the first time since the sinking that I’ll speak about it in the press. It was a very difficult time.”

Not long thereafter, Senegal played against Nigeria in a charity match to raise money for those affected by the tragedy.

Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly believes an African country can win the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly believes the time for an African country to win the FIFA World Cup is now as Senegal prepare for the tournament in November and December with friendlies against Bolivia and Iran.