Sol Bamba has passed away at the age of 39.

The former Ivory Coast defender , who played in England for several teams including Cardiff City, Middlesbrough, Leicester City and Leeds, was now working at Turkish club Adanaspor, who announced the news on Saturday night.

A statement from Adanaspor said: “Our technical director Souleymane Bamba, who fell ill before the match against Manisa Football Club yesterday, was taken to Manisa Celal Bayar University Hospital and unfortunately lost his battle for life there. Our condolences to his family and our community.”

Bamba was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2021 while at Cardiff, but was declared cancer-free after a course of chemotherapy and returned to play again for the Bluebirds and Middlesbrough.

The former defender who was born in France to Ivorian parents, began his playing career at Paris Saint-Germain before moving to the UK after failing to establish himself in the first team.

He represented the Ivory Coast at the 2008 Olympics and played in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. He made his final international appearance two years later.