Senegal international Aliou Cisse has hailed the “warmth and compassion” of Birmingham fans, following the loss of eleven members of his family and many close friends in a ferry disaster in his home country. Over 1,100 people were killed in the accident last month, including dozens from his village near the port of Ziguinchor, from where the ferry set sail.
Only 64 of the 1,034 passengers survived and the bodies of more than 400 passengers are still trapped in the upturned hull.
Cisse bravely stayed in England to play against West Ham before returning home. Blues fans will pay tribute to his gesture when he returns for tomorrow’s home game against Manchester City by holding up green, gold and red cards to form a huge Senegal flag before the kick-off.
Cisse told the Birmingham Evening Mail: “I know the fans like me and since the disaster they have really taken me to their hearts and that has greatly touched me. They are not fans who just cheer their players on the pitch. They have shown me their warmth and compassion and I want to thank them all. They have sent me so many messages of support.
“For what the people at this club and the fans have done for me recently, I don't know how to repay them. What I will do is give my very best week in and week out and hopefully in the future we will be able to share in something good,” said the Birmingham midfielder.
Cisse spoke about the personal impact of the tragedy on the ferry which was taking passengers from the south of Senegal to Dakar. He said: “Not only were some of my family on board but also dozens of friends - people from the village where I grew up and went to school with. I lost a lot of people whom I loved and who were close to me. For my country, it was a terrible thing and we are still trying to come to terms with what happened.”
Filed by Greg McKevitt
