Brest coach Eric Roy, aged 58, died from pancreatic cancer, his family announced Wednesday June 17 on the deceased’s Instagram account.
“For three and a half years, Dad had been battling pancreatic cancer. All this time, he continued to live with a strength that still impresses us,” wrote the family of the coach, who still held his position at the head of Stade Brestois at the end of the season.
Former midfielder trained at OGC Nice and notably with Lyon and Marseille, Eric Roy took charge of the Breton team in 2023, twelve years after his first experience as a technician, at OGCN, where he made his debut as a professional player.
“What he has accomplished in recent years will remain exceptional for us. Going through this ordeal while supporting a club, a team, such a strong story, says a lot about the man he was,” his family wrote.
“One of the most beautiful moments of his life”
For his first season with Brest, in 2023-2024, Roy had an exceptional career for a club with a modest budget, more accustomed to playing for survival than reaching the top, finishing in 3rd place in Ligue 1, behind Monaco and PSG. The Bretons played in the Champions League the following season, where they exited the league phase before being eliminated in the play-offs by PSG, future European champion.
During the following two seasons, less brilliant, Brest each time ensured its maintenance without trembling, finishing in the middle of the table. “His adventure at Stade Brestois was one of the most beautiful moments of his life. She gave him energy, joy, a reason to continue, even in the most difficult moments,” adds Eric Roy’s family, evoking a “rare and magnificent bond” with his players.
“It is with immense sadness that I learned of the death of Éric Roy,” reacted the president of the Professional Football League (LFP), Vincent Labrune. “French football today loses one of its most respected, most loved, and most authentic characters,” added Labrune, saluting Roy’s “total passion” and “rare integrity.”
