Johannesburg, May 8: Former Senegal striker Jules Francois Bocande has died in France following surgery. He was 53.
The deadlocked forward, who made his name for French club Metz and had a brief stint as Senegal coach in the mid-1990s died on Monday in the city of Metz in northeastern France, the Senegalese Football Federation and Confederation of African Football said.
They gave no cause of death.
Bocande reportedly had a stroke several months ago and traveled to France for treatment.
CAF president Issa Hayatou said Bocande's death was another blow to African football after Nigeria's all-time leading scorer Rashidi Yekini died on Friday.
Bocande was "a player of passion and pride," Hayatou said, adding that he remembered when Bocande and Yekini lined up against each other in the opening game of the 1992 African Cup of Nations in Senegal. Bocande scored, but Yekini's Nigeria side won 2-1.
Senegal's football federation president Augustin Senghor offered his condolences to Bocande's family.
The country's sports ministry said the government would arrange Bocande's remains to be brought back home.
Bocande was top scorer in the French league during the 1985-86 season, scoring 23 goals for Metz. He also played for Paris Saint-Germain, Nice and Lens in a 15-year career.
He appeared in three African Cups and was an assistant coach to Bruno Metsu when Senegal reached the quarterfinals at the 2002 World Cup.
