News and Events | Sol Bamba (13 January 1985 - 31 August 2024)

Sol made 52 appearances for Dunfermline Athletic, six of which were from the bench, for but never managed to score for the Pars.

Above: Sol Bamba in debut v Osasuna, July 2006

Everyone at Dunfermline Athletic was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our former player Sol Bamba who has tragically died in Turkey after being rushed to hospital following a match involving Adanaspor, the team at which he had recently been appointed Head Coach.

Born in Paris to Ivorian parents, Sol (born Souleymane Bamba) signed for Paris St Germain at the age of eleven. However, despite working his way through their youth structure, he was unable to make much progress towards regular first team involvement, and left the club in the summer of 2006. Meanwhile back at East End Park, Pars manager Jim Leishman was on the look out for a central defender. Through an agent Jim had an eye on a French left back/centre half but the player`s fiancee took ill so he returned to France, so Dunfermline were then offered Sol as a replacement. Sol made his debut on 20 July 2006, coming on as a second half substitute in a pre-season friendly at East End Park against Spanish side Atletico Osasuna. He played two days later in another friendly against Carlisle United, but it was his performance three days later against West Bromwich Albion that caught the manager`s eye:_

`At the time West Brom were managed by Brian Robson and he had just signed John Hartson from Celtic. Bamba played Hartson out of the game, and that was enough for me.`

Leishman signed Bamba on a two-year contract. Sol was very popular with Pars fans from the outset, mainly because he was so different `“ he could miss a tackle but his big legs and gazelle-like speed would ensure he caught his opponent up before he`d gone another couple of strides. On the other hand, he could be the most frustrating player `“ he could go past men with decent ball skills then misplace a simple pass. However, that was as much about his age and lack of experience as it was anything else, and there was great confidence that Bamba would develop into a very good player.

His first season at Dunfermline saw mixed results for the team `“ the club struggled in the Premier League, but managed to go on a tremendous Scottish Cup run, beating Rangers 3-2 and Hearts 1-0 in the process. Dunfermline met Hibernian in the semi-final and after a goalless first match, the Pars won the replay 1-0 thanks to a Jim McIntyre penalty. Sol was core to that victory, with an outstanding performance in defence. The Final against Celtic was lost when Celtic scored a late winner, but once again the team had looked solid defensively. In the league and despite a great run of four wins on the trot, Dunfermline fell at the final hurdle losing to Inverness on the last day and thus were relegated.

Dunfermline`s confidence in Bamba was confirmed when the player was given an extension to his contract, but even at that stage, there were signs that Bamba did not want to be part of a relegated team. After Stephen Kenny left, he didn`t play as many games during the 2007-08 season he might have, although he did take part in another final, the League Challenge Cup Final which Dunfermline lost 3-2 to St Johnstone.

In July 2008 , Sol was permitted by the club to go on trial with Watford and it appeared to everyone that he was going to sign, but for whatever reason, it all fell through and Sol returned to Dunfermline, to play in a League Challenge Cup match against Queen of the South on 20th August. At the time, his manager Jim McIntyre welcomed him back:
``One player who does deserve a mention is Sol Bamba. He drove for twelve hours through the night and had a sleep in the morning before the game, but I thought he was excellent. Unfortunately for everybody the move fell through and I`m not sure why. We had a letter from them, they had a agreed a fee with us and terms with Sol, so for this to happen is disappointing. But Sol is a good footballer and I am happy to welcome him back.`

However, it wasn`t to be for long `“ Sol played just one more game, a league match against Livingston on 30th August before departing for Easter Road where Hibernian had put in a bid just before the transfer deadline which was accepted by the Pars Board. One small piece of comfort for Pars fans is that the club would receive a share of any future transfer. Sol`s two and a half seasons at Easter Road were only the start of a tremendous playing career. By the time he left Easter Road he had developed into a sought-after defender. He signed for Leicester City in January 2011, then moved to top Turkish side Trabzonspor in June 2012. After a brief six months with Italian side Palermo, he moved to Leeds United where he was made captain. He had arguably his most successful spell after moving to Cardiff City in October 2016 before finally joining Middlesbrough in 2021.

On the international front Bamba played for Ivory Coast at the FIFA World Youth Championship and at the African Youth Championship. Then on 13th August 2008 at 19.45 (local time) in the Tianjin Olympic Stadium in China he made a little bit of Pars history. Having been selected for the Ivory Coast squad at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Sol had to sit on the bench for the first two matches. However, for this game Sol took his place in the centre of defence and played the full 90 minutes as the Ivorians secured a quarter final place in the Olympic Tournament with a 1-0 win over Australia. Sol thus became the first serving Pars player to represent his country (Ivory Coast) at the Olympic Games. It was also the start of a lengthy international career in which Sol won 46 full caps for Ivory Coast.

A very nice tribute to Sol appears on the St Pat`s website where former Pars manager Stephen Kenny says:-

`I had the pleasure of managing Sol, he was a young centre-half at Dunfermline Athletic. He was he was a big presence at us on and off the pitch, lighting quick and a really top class defender. Sol was a very passionate young man, who brought a lot of laughter around the club. It spoke volumes for his character that during an injury crises at the club, he played through the pain. He was breath of fresh air around the club but moved on to Hibernian having attracted a lot of interest. It`s hard to be believe at 39 that he`s passed say. He was brilliant to work with, and it`s a very sad loss.`

Sol made 52 appearances for Dunfermline Athletic, six of which were from the bench, for but never managed to score for the Pars. We leave our final thoughts about Sol with the man who signed him for the Pars, Jim Leishman:-

`Although it took a bit of luck to get Sol, he was a great guy to have in the team. He had a fiery temperament, but that was because he wanted to be a winner. Although he was raw, I knew it was unlikely that we would be able to keep him `“ he was strong, quick with good feet, and he was good in the air. Off the field I got on really well with him and met his mum, dad and brothers. He went on to great things, but we kept in contact. It is really sad that he has passed away. The thing I`ll remember most about him is his smile `“ it was second to none.`

Our sincere condolences go to Sol`s wife and family at this sad time.