People around the world have been reacting to the news that former Olympique Marseille President Pape Diouf, has died, aged 68.
Diouf, the only African so far to be the President of a major club in European football, died in his native Senegal on Tuesday night after being infected with the coronavirus.
After contracting the coronavirus in his home country of Senegal, he was to be flown to France on Tuesday night for treatment, but he could not stay long for the journey.
According to Senegalese national television, his relatives confirmed that, Pape Diouf died on Tuesday in Dakar.
The former journalist at La Marseillaise in the 1980s, he was a successful football agent from the 1990s, representing top African players like Joseph-Antoine Bell, Marcel Desailly, Basile Boli, William Gallas, Samir Nasir, Didier Drogba and many others.
Pape Diouf was appointed CEO of Marseille in 2004 and was voted the President in 2005.
An esteemed leader, he was one of the major players in French football, renowned for his good banter with his Lyon counterpart Jean -Michel Aulas and his classy way of dressing.
After leaving Marseille in 2009, he became a sought-after speaker in sports conferences.
Charged in the case of questionable transfers from Marseille in 2016, the judicial decision was thrown out on appeal in 2018.
He returned to Dakar in 2018 to be with his family.
Since the news of his death broke out, many people around the world took to social media to express their condolences.
