Andre Ayew pays tribute to 'mentor' & former Marseille President Pape Diouf

Ghana captain Andre Ayew has paid tributes to former Marseille President Pape Diouf, who died on Tuesday night in Senegal.

Pape Diouf died after suffering from the coronavirus. He was 68.

Ayew took to Twitter to expressed his grief after hearing of the death of one of Africa’s leading football executive.

“MON PAPA, GRAND PERE, MON MENTOR, RIP PAPE DIOUF,” he posted.

The astute African football executive, who was President of Marseille between 2005 To 2009, helped Jordan and his senior brother Ayew settle in France when they were at the Marseille academy.

Diouf was a close friend of their father Abedi Pele during his playing days at the French giants Marseille long before the former journalist became the club’s President.

A 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.