This archive report was first published on 29 July 2019.
On Sunday, July 28, the football fraternity in Africa mourned the loss of Peter Bonu Johnson, a former Gambia National Team player and coach, who died at the age of 56 after a long illness.
Johnson played for the west African national team between 1983 and 1994, before rejoining the team as an assistant coach of the senior squad between 2004 and 2008.
He was later appointed as the team's head coach in 2012, but his stint was short-lived, lasting only four months. However, he made a return to the same role in 2013 for another short stint, earning an appointment as the CHAN team manager in 2015.
Johnson's greatest highlight as coach was in 2007 when he led The Gambia U-20 Team to third place at the African Youth Championship and a maiden appearance at the World Youth Championship in Canada.
The Gambia Football Federation confirmed the death of the former player, with the federation's president Lamin Kaba Bajo mourning him as "an irreparable loss."
"He has contributed immensely to the growth and development of football in The Gambia and his death is an irreparable loss to our game and the country at large," Bajo said in a statement.
