Peter Bonu Johnson: Former Gambia football coach and player dies at 56

The African football fraternity has been plunged into mourning following the demise of former Gambia National Team Player and Coach Peter Bonu Johnson.

Curtains fell on Bonu on Sunday, July 28, aged 56 after losing his battle with a long illness.

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The Gambia Football Federation has since confirmed the death of the former player, with the federation's president Lamin Kaba Bajo mourning him as "an irreparable loss."

"He has contributed immensely to the growth and development of football in The Gambia and his death is an irreparable loss to our game and the country at large," he said in a statement.

Bonu Johnson played for west African national team between 1983 and 1994, before rejoining the team as an assistant coach of the senior squad between 2004 and 2008.

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In 2012, he was named the team's head coach, but his stint was short lived, leaving the position four months later.

He however made a return to the same role in 2013 for another short stint, earning an appointment as the CHAN team manager in 2015.

His greatest highlight as coach was in 2007 when he led The Gambia U-20 Team to third place at the African Youth Championship and a maiden appearance at the World Youth Championship in Canada.

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