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The maritime tragedy that shaped Aliou Cisse's career – by the men who managed him

Aliou Cisse the head coach / manager of Senegal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group A match between Ecuador and Senegal at Khalifa International Stadium on November 29, 2022 in Doha, Qatar - The maritime tragedy that shaped Aliou Cisse's career- by the men who managed him - James Williamson/Getty Images
Aliou Cisse the head coach / manager of Senegal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group A match between Ecuador and Senegal at Khalifa International Stadium on November 29, 2022 in Doha, Qatar - The maritime tragedy that shaped Aliou Cisse's career- by the men who managed him - James Williamson/Getty Images

There can be few more heart-wrenching examples of the breadth of skills required in football management than the story of Steve Bruce and Aliou Cisse. And, even now, 20 years on, what is striking in hearing Bruce talk about the man whose Senegal team stands between England and a place in the World Cup quarter-final is how often he uses the word “love”.

Bruce loved what Cisse always gave him as a player but, above all, he adored him as a person and what he saw daily in a 26-year-old Senegalese player who had only been in England for two months when tragedy struck.

Le Joola, a ferry with a capacity of fewer than 600, was more than three times over its capacity on its journey from Ziguinchor in the south of Senegal to Dakar, when it capsized in high wind and rough seas with no lifeboats or effective radio signals.

It was one of the worst maritime disasters in history and the 1,863 death toll would include 11 of Cisse’s close family members, including his sister, aunts, uncles, nephews and cousins.

It was a ferry journey that Cisse himself had made previously on numerous occasions.

The tragedy occurred on Sept 26 but, incredibly, Cisse chose to continue training and, following an agonising wait to receive the dreadful information about his members, played in a 2-0 defeat against Newcastle United and then a 2-1 victory against West Ham United over the next six days.

Cisse had shared news of the tragedy with Bruce but actively chose to shield his team-mates, later saying that he wanted “to protect the group from my state of mind”.

'He was magnificent, a real warrior'

Bruce says that Cisse still delivered a series of “magnificent” performances during what had been Birmingham’s first season in the Premier League. “I wanted a team that could get after the ball, be happy to defend and be ugly and horrible to play against,” says Bruce. “I’d seen him play in the World Cup for Senegal, when they beat France.

He was captain and I was always interested in signing captains because they get the armband for a reason. He would never give up, or take a backward step.

“He was as tough as I’ve had as a manager. Hard as nails. Aggressive. You just wouldn’t mess with him. He made himself a big fan favourite with his attitude as much as anything. I loved him as a lad… I loved him to bits.”

Bruce, though, does identify a somewhat delayed on-field reaction from the tragedy during Cisse’s second season at the club when he would make only 17 appearances.

“It was tough for him after that,” says Bruce. “He came back late for pre-season, he wasn’t really in the right place mentally. He just wasn’t right to play and it took him some time to recover.

“We never fell out over it. How can you fall out with someone who has just gone through something like that? He was never the same again in his second season, but he was magnificent in the first one. A real warrior.”

Cisse, who had played previously in France for Lille, Paris St Germain and Montpellier, would move to Portsmouth in 2004 where, according to Harry Redknapp, he spent two seasons “covering every blade of grass”. Redknapp could sense Cisse’s quiet leadership in the dressing-room but had not necessarily expected him to become a manager. Bruce was less surprised, believing that his “attitude and spirit”, allied to his “generosity and popularity”, constituted a formidable set of qualities.

'It’s nice for me to see him in the dugout'

Having helped Senegal create history as a player by reaching the African Cup of Nations final in 2002 and then the World Cup quarter-final later that same year, Cisse has also broken new ground for his country, and indeed the whole of Africa, as a manager since 2015.

Cisse was the only black manager at the 2018 World Cup and repeatedly used his voice to call for more opportunities, highlighting how the African teams were then often coached by European managers.

That does seem to be changing amid Cisse’s example and he also led Senegal to their first ever African Cup of Nations title earlier this year. Even this last 16 appearance against England makes it their most successful World Cup for more than 20 years.

In this June 11, 2002 file photo Senegal's players celebrate after scoring their third goal in the first half of their 2002 World Cup Group A soccer match against Uruguay at the Suwon World Cup stadium in Suwon, South Korea. From left are Aliou Cisse, Alassane Ndour, Henri Camara, Khalilou Fadiga, Papa Bouba Diop (hidden) and El Hadji Diouf - The maritime tragedy that shaped Aliou Cisse's career- by the men who managed him - Lawerence Jackson/AP

Bruce’s pride for his small part in the journey is clear but, as he also lists a multitude of connections with the England team, there is no doubting where his loyalties will lie come Sunday night.

“It’s nice for me to watch this World Cup and see him [Cisse] in the dugout and, if I look at the England team, I gave Jordan Henderson his league debut and brought him through,” he says. “I signed Harry Maguire for Hull City. I fought tooth and nail to keep Jack Grealish at Aston Villa when they wanted to sell … for something ridiculous.

“And then there is Callum Wilson. I fought all summer to get him to Newcastle when they had previously refused to sign players over the age of 28 on anything like the wages he wanted. Now look at him. Things like that are nice to reflect on.”

As for Cisse, who only spoke publicly for the first time about the tragedy earlier this year, he wants the many other families who were impacted to know that their loved ones will never be forgotten.

"We must simply remember our dead and all those families decimated from the fathers down to the grandchildren,” he said. “In fact, my main motivation in agreeing to this interview is to say 'we are thinking of you’."