Champions LeagueJune 19, 2026
Brest coach and ex-Sunderland player Eric Roy dies aged 58
Eric Roy, the Brest coach and former Sunderland midfielder, has died aged 58 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He led Brest to their first Champions League qualification.
The coach of Ligue 1 club Stade Brestois 29, Eric Roy, has died at the age of 58. The club announced this. A statement from Roy's family said the former Sunderland player had battled pancreatic cancer for three years. Roy, who was sporting director at Watford in 2019 when the club played in the Premier League, took over as coach at Brest in January 2023 and led the team to qualification for the 2024-25 Champions League - the club's first European appearance in history.
On the X platform, Brest's club said: "It is difficult to find the right words to express the sadness we feel after the death of our coach Eric Roy." The president, the club management and the entire Stade Brestois 29 share the pain of his family, his wife, his two children and all relatives.
The Roy family said: "Dad was deeply kind, tender, upright and honest. He knew how to encourage, impart knowledge and lead others to surpass themselves and become the best version of themselves. He had that demanding character, fairness and humanity." Roy, who also played for and coached French club OGC Nice, scored one goal in 27 appearances for Sunderland in the 1999-2000 season.
On the X platform, Brest's club said: "It is difficult to find the right words to express the sadness we feel after the death of our coach Eric Roy." The president, the club management and the entire Stade Brestois 29 share the pain of his family, his wife, his two children and all relatives.
The Roy family said: "Dad was deeply kind, tender, upright and honest. He knew how to encourage, impart knowledge and lead others to surpass themselves and become the best version of themselves. He had that demanding character, fairness and humanity." Roy, who also played for and coached French club OGC Nice, scored one goal in 27 appearances for Sunderland in the 1999-2000 season.
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